Reaching Rose
by rozawillow03
Summary: Rose Albions : A cool , somewhat indifferent senior Agent of 24 years old ,realises something . Victor Benedict is her soulfinder. But with the demons she faces daily , will she let him in ? PLEASE READ IT'S BETTER THAN THE SUMMARY I PROMISE.
1. Chapter 1

Reaching Rose ,Chapter 1

 _ **Hi Guys! You may have seen me around ,reviewing other fanfics. Bare with me ,because this is my first fanfiction ,and reviews and constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.**_

 _ **It's going to be centred around Victor and his soulfinder ,around the time all the Benedict brothers had found their soulfinders . And just for reference : I love Atoosa ,I thought she was the perfect personality for Vic in the series (which I have read through entirely ,and more than once) but this story has been stuck in my head for a while now so… Also ,I don't think and going to include Misty and co. ,because that would just be too many characters for me too handle, though they may be mentioned in passing .**_

 _ **I'll try and update as regularly as I can ,but please bear in mind I've got school etc. to deal with . Here goes ,and I hope you all like it !**_

 _ **Disclaimer : Anything you recognise from Joss Stirling's books ,surprise ,surprise ,belongs to her entirely !She is the God ,after all.**_

RPOV

I stood in the conference room ,as people whirled around me : planning, newbies panicking ,and all the other agents very official, very collected ,smirking somewhat at the newer bunch that had recently arrived . A new mission had been signed. But I wouldn't be going on it of course ,I had already been signed on a mission ,even though I'd just come back from Afghanistan . One that was going to have devastating consequences , especially after what I had just realised : Victor Benedict is my soulfinder.

You'd think I'd be ecstatic ,and I am ,but I'm also faced with a slight …situation .Tell Victor ,and risk dying on my 'code red' mission ,which might just kill him .Or leave him the dark. I know I'm most likely going to die on this mission, they told me as much ,I know as much . But should I let him live in the dark ,searching and searching, but not knowing his soulfinder is probably dead ,or tell him ,as selfish as I am ,and die ,absolutely destroying him .My thought process was interrupted as the man himself walked in ,in deep conversation with the agent next to him .He glanced at me, his smile a little strained , and my heart broke. We'd been friends for sometime ,going on various missions, partnered together ,and I won't lie to you ,I was drawn to him .And I don't want to seem presumptuous ,but I think he was too . However I think we were both too scared to see if were soulfinders ,or even ask about it ,worried of the outcome that we weren't what we wanted to be . But of course ,we had some …impeccable… timing .On the morning I got my mission ,Vic obviously picked up the courage to see if were soulfinders . He started the conversation bluntly ,which he often does when he's nervous or anxious saying : "My birthday's February the 7th . When's yours? Don't bull shit me either Rose" . Of course, I panicked ,mainly because I'd just found out I was basically going to die and said "I- I'm sorry Vic …It's September .",when it is actually 3 days after his . And I pretty much fled ,the tears only starting when I arrived back at my apartment ,because ,well ,Rose Albions is strong ,an undefeatable ,world-renown senior agent ,who doesn't cry over …over a guy. And since then I've just seen him and want to burst into tears all over again . His hair ,his jawline, he muscles ,his eyes …Oh my God those eyes . I'm a little melodramatic I know , but I've never been like this before ,I swear.

I hear my name called ,and for the second time ,I snap out of my day dreaming . I really need to get it together .

"Yes Simmons? Speak"

"I-I was just w-wondering Ma'am"

"Come on Simmons ,I need actual sentences ,not penguin talk. " I smiled ,softening slightly.

"I –I need some time off" .

"Really Simmons ? You go off ill ,come back ,and demand time off? You surely know how ridiculous this is. And quit trembling ,you look like some nursery kid , you're practically pissing yourself . Get over it ,you're an agent"

"I'm sorry Miss ,I really am …I… I think I'm pregnant "

My stomach dropped for her ,I swear ,God knows what management will do to her for this –she was one of the ones who refused the implant aswell ,promising she'd be careful. I sighed . "Well then ,Simmons get your ass off premises" . She nodded ,scuttling off . I called out : "And Simmons ?!" She turned . "Congratulations." Now I had to find a new agent for this new mission . I stalked off , the indifferent ,cool ,work façade on show. Hold your head high Rose .

2 Weeks Later

I hung ,strung up in my cell ,pain radiating through every cell in my body . But I was nearly there, I nearly had the intel I needed. Keep going Rose ,keep your head held high. Victor's face swam in front of me ,even as they tested on me ,beat me ,for information ,and my lips somehow managed to stay sealed . I'm nearly there Vic. I'm coming back to you ,I swear.

 **Hopefully you liked it ,and my next chapter should be longer ,this was just an intro ,a background. PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW**


	2. Chapter 2

Reaching Rose Chapter 2

 **I'm back guys –this update is quite fast , because I don't know when I'll next be able to upload a chapter –and sorry in advance for the cliff hanger . Also ,not all the chapters will be as long as this –this is probably too long –sorry . And this is my first time writing from a guy's perspective ,bare with me. OO one last point ,Victor takes a plane from New York to Denver –I'm British – I don't know how it works in America ,so sorry if that's completely wrong.**

 **To I'mjustdancingintherain : MY FIRST EVER REVIEWER I WAS SO PROUD You are awesome and so motivational thanks a bunch .I'm glad you liked it –and Victor . I just find him soooo …mysterious .*Eyebrow waggle* And keep it up with your story too –which is so much better than mine**

 **To llamaacorn ; ANOTHER REVIEWER I'M SO LUCKY THANKYOU . You made my day when I read your review ,thanks for being so supportive . AND SOMEONE ELSE WHO LOVES VICTOR WE MUST BUILD A VICOT ARMY .I hope you like this chapter as much as the last.**

 **HOPE EVERYONE LIKES IT ,HERE GOES ….**

VPOV

"What do you mean Missing In Action? We're not the fucking army ! What mission was she on ?Tell me now . No, not in two years, now you—"

Nick snatched the phone out of my hands : "Sorry about that...Yes yeah ,sorry. Bye." He swivelled round to face me "What the hell ,Vic ?!" I sat down with my head in my hands ,running them over my face .I knew I hadn't seen her in a while but I never- I never expected this .

"She's gone Nick . Presumed dead. Presumed fucking _dead_. I hadn't even realised she'd gone on a mission..." I shook my head. I shouldn't be feeling this . Yes ,she was a close friend ,but still ,I shouldn't feel like this for her. After all ,I have a soulfinder somewhere.

" _Who_ Vic?"

"Ro- Agent Albions . I can't believe this . " What –what is wrong with me ?

"Dude I-I had know idea you two were even that close...Did you have feelings for her or something ? Was she your soulfinder thingy ?" Nick knew about savants ,due to working for the FBI ,but didn't entirely understand how they work .Still ,at that word ,my heart stuttered .Almost stopped entirely . I'd learnt to value nothing from that word . _Soulfinder._ I used to chase it ,yearn for the day I'd find her ,but now I dreaded it . Because... I wanted her. I wanted Rose. Crystal can't even find my soulfinder now ,her location is hidden , and maybe... maybe this is horribly selfish of me but I don't want to find her anymore. I want to find her even less so ,with Rose gone. Gone .Oh my God I can't do this . What the hell am I even saying ?

Get over this Vic ,you're an agent ,this happens every day . I stood up, straightening my back.

"She's not my soulfinder no ,Nick . But hey ,agents go missing all the time. It's not the end of the world ,and I'm sure Agent Albions wouldn't want it to be . I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah .Yeah see you tomorrow Vic. " I could practically feel Nick's somewhat confused ,saddened gaze burning a hole in my back. But you know what ? I no longer cared. What's the point ?

 **A Week Later**

I heard an annoying beeping sound, waving it off, my arm flailing around looking for my alarm while the rest of me lay ,helpless . An hour later I woke up. "Shit". Well that just about covers it. I practically flew around the house ,pulling a shirt on ,grumbling ,while searching for wherever the hell I'd left my suitcase ,apparently where my drunken-self had decided would be a smart place to put it . I needed to be on a plane in ...half an hour . AGH. Stupid family Christmases . My Mother really is a force of God ,making me do this. But still ,half an hour later ,I was sitting on a plane to Denver ,leaving New York trailing behind ,only feeling slightly hungover ,and sipping my third cup of coffee since waking up. I brought up my laptop onto the tray-table ,and started to scroll through the long list of emails waiting in my inbox .

"VICTOR HONEY" Oh dear .I knew I'd waited too long to see Mom ,she was practically bursting now ,but she still makes me smile.

"Hey Mom . How you doing?"

"Me? Oh honey I'm fine. Come in ,come in don't just stand there . How was your trip? Are you hungry ? I bet your hungry . You promise me no work this Christmas ,do you here me Victor Benedict ? " Oh God . I heard approaching voices –well shouting - and sighed. I love my family ,but this ? This is going to be one long Christmas ."Brother dearest !" Xav .After greeting the mob of relatives who attacked me I was ushered inside, my bags practically pried from my hands ,and I sat down at the dinner table. I sniffed the air long and hard. I smelt a rich ,spicy scent of chilli con carne ,and for the first time in too long ,I grinned.

A bubble of talking and conversation settled over dinner. I couldn't help but to feel a little over powered by the sheer lovey-dovey-ness circling the table as I ate . Sky giggled at something Zed said to her ,obviously telepathically , whilst Xav and Crystal joked at one and another's dress sense . Trace and Diamond ,along with the majority of the suffocating-ly-in love soulfinders ,were just gazing at one and another periodically before snapping back to whatever conversation was current . And right now ,the being last Benedict without a soulfinder , I hated it . Worse ,I hated them. My teeth ,by this point ,were practically grinding into each other ,and my whole face hurt , but I couldn't ruin their evening with my hectic emotions. I just calmed my face into not-caring, made sure none of my nosy family could see how I was feeling –I swear that's one of the reasons Sky mistrusts me ,she often whispers about my 'aura' being 'muffled' ,as she calls it -,and carried on the role of the cold ,not feeling Victor. The cutlery klinked, eventually grinding to a halt as people finished . "So Vic ,how's work ?Any cases the Net could help with ?" At that I exchanged a dry glance with Trace – that was Dad's customary question : can the Net help ? Everything came back to the Net ,and I get it ,kind of ;Dad is an sort of revolutionary – someone trying to link the gaps between the savant society and .. .the human society ,I guess ? But still ,while I work hard to make sure the connections are as easy and as free as they can be ,I also think I try and protect the boundaries between . Too much savant influence wouldn't be good for the rest of society and vice versa…I think. Nah ,I know . The bad guy savants do not want to mix with humans –it would be catastrophic to say the least . I turn back to Dad ,cutting off my moral argument : "I'm not sure ,Dad . But you know I'd be the first to contact the Net if I thought we needed them" I smiled ,a little grimly : I'd been trying to avoid thoughts of work entirely . Mom spoke up, deciding now would be a good time to interrupt and remind us it was Christmastime . More than that ,it's Christmas in the Benedict household : "Ok , NO more talk of work .At all . " She stopped to glare at myself and Dad ,the dreaded Mom-glare making me gulp ,then continued : "Boys, go down with your Dad to get the tree . Girls? Follow me ,we'll go get some decorations" . No-one dared argue ,of course.

About half an hour later ,I sat, cursing silently at the mass of hell that were the Christmas lights ,while the rest of the Benedicts went about with their various allocated activities . Uriel and Tarryn , seeing my rapidly increasing frustration ,decided to come over and give me a hand ,chuckling slightly . We sat working in silence ; that was one thing a liked about Uriel –most of my family don't know the meaning of 'shutup' ,but Uriel ,and apparently Tarryn ,do seem to understand when to talk and when to not .

"How are you ,Vic ? You seem quiet –well ,even quieter than usual ." Uriel grinned slightly at me ,whilst I was sighing with frustration internally –I really do speak to soon ,don't I ?

"I'm fine Uriel ,really ,and it's great to be back – just a little overwhelming . The Benedicts don't half know how to fill a room, do they ?"

"You're telling me ,bro " Said Will ,wandering over ,but not before checking Margot was Ok chatting with Diamond and Crystal . Really ? You have got to be kidding . I was increasingly realising how unstable I was ,and the closer I was to exploding . The lights still sat in front of me ,the utterly confused and potentially dangerous criss-crossing of wires matching my exact feelings .

"Damn these lights really are a mess" Someone up there ,is actually taking the frigging piss .Phoenix had apparently decided to wander over ,Yves in tow of course . Yves sat on the floor next to me ,and pulled Phoenix onto his were giggling at something with one and another ,and Yves placed his hands on her waist ,rubbing her back gently –I quickly looked away ,only to find Xav and Crystal hugging on an armchair , whilst my parents stood ,holding one and another ,watching all the happy couples with a smile . I felt the anger growing ,worming through me ,making me increasingly volatile ; I clenched my fists ,tried to control my breathing .Sky stood up from where she'd been sitting ,only to step on a wire ,snapping the Christmas lights ,rendering them useless . All that work ,useless . I utterly snapped. "What the fuck ,Sky?" She looked at me ,apology written on her face ,and slight shock at my outburst ,but I wasn't done .

"I'm sorry Vic ,I-"

"Don't even try it , I'm not in the fucking mood – you and Zed don't own the place, did you realise that? Oh wait ,you spend too much time shoving your tongue down Zeds throat to realise any-" Until then ,there'd been a stunned silence ,now a chorus of angry voices were yelling at me in anger and indignation . Zed had practically tried to kill me ,but once he saw Sky's tears he ran to her instead . That's it Zed ,run to your little soulfinder , at least you have one . Oh God what have I done . Suddenly ,my body stilled entirely ,oblivious to the glares being sent my way and the consolations being sent Sky's way. Someone –a savant- had just destroyed the shields I had reinforced just hours ago that surrounded our house . What was happening ?

 **DUN DUN DUN . Feel free to guess who it is in the REVIEWS ,and I HOPED YOU LIKED IT . Again , any tips ,likes/dislikes , constructive criticism would be loooved . SEE Y'ALL SOON GUYS .**


	3. Chapter 3

Reaching Rose Chapter 3

 _ **So guys : SIX REVIEWS. OMG I LOVE THE FACT I'VE GOT 6. Llamaaacorn and I'mJustDancingInTheRain –my first reviewers. THANKYOU SO MUCH AND CHECK YOUR PMs . And to my TWO NEW REVIEWERS THANKYOU SO MUCH . Prettyweirdgirl –thankyou . I didn't proofread as well as I should have so I'm glad , you made me check this chapter more –hopefully it is better. HOPE YOU ALL LIKE IT. Next chapter should be here Friday or Saturday.**_

 **RPOV**

My thoughts drifted , thinking back to years and years ago ,and so I found myself running around . My hands flew around me as I span round ,snow swirling round with me, settling on my surroundings to give the perfect idea of a winter wonderland .Everything from the trees to my Mums' bobble on her hat had a dusting of snow ,thickening to form a blanket on the ground ,crunching under my feet. I laughed as the little icy flakes landed on my tongue. My Mum and older brother stood trying to build a snowman ,a snowman which I had lost interest in long before then , alternating between laughing at my inexplicable joy ,and cursing the snow as it collapsed around them ,rather staying in the massive ball they were aiming for. A time when I was happy ,and relatively carefree. Innocent .

When you are a child you see the world in a different light, you can understand the simplicity adults struggle to , no matter what they say. As I grew up and I faced the 'harsh reality' I had been taught to expect , I made a promise to myself: I would never stop believing in the joy I saw in the world as a child. Admittedly ,I soon realised, not all children were as blessed as I ,and my Mum and brother hid me from a lot of simply cruel things from me, especially in the world I grew up in, simply to ensure I was happy. Not sheltered ,but happy . So when they died ,when I was only nine years old , I faced numerous terrible things . And more as I grew up ,like so many do . My work forces me to face some horrible things too ,but I don't forget the simplicity . The wins . The smiles on the people's faces that I've helped ,in whatever way. And too ,when my work is finished I go home ,and I do my best to smile . Because there are too many evils in the world to count . But if you don't see the happiness in equal measure ,there is no point in living. And there is always more happiness than you think.

I heard some officials standing outside the cell that I was being held in ,and I held my breath , begging . Begging whatever thing I thought might be up there in the sky for the Door Code . JUST THE FRIGGING DOOR CODE PLEASE . THAT'S ALL ,I SWEAR. I knew what I needed to know ,and I was so tired . Tired of their interrogations ,tired of their testing , tired of their torture . I was absolutely done ,and I didn't know how much more I could take. Everything hurt ,from the constant pain behind my eyes ,to the bruises decorating my body . One side of my face had ballooned to ridiculous measures ,leaving me squinting and aching no matter how I tried to communicate. No matter how much I begged them to stop. Which I knew they wouldn't , they couldn't. I'm 90 percent sure they were ,or still are, working for someone ,and obviously disobeying orders in unacceptable

Obviously ,someone must have been listening ,and it is for that reason alone ,I believe in religion . _They may be big ,buff, military style officers ,working in the interrogation sector of the building ,but they obviously aren't trained in any form of stealth organisation,_ I thought . _They're bloody stupid._

Still ,despite the urge to run ,right at that moment ,now with the door code in possession , I knew I had to wait . I knew ,for sure, I was in no physical condition to blatantly escape ,in the middle of a change over shift ,with double the guards in circulation , _and_ the experimenters on their way. So I had to wait ,and , I had to prepare. So ,I waited , for a full three hours ,each second ,minute ,hour meticulously counted. _One Mississippi . Two Mississippi_ . And now the preparation : I began ,by firstly going into the corner where the cameras can't spot me. Stupid mistake on their part ,I know . I now had about 3 minutes before they realised ,and 6 minutes before they arrived in my sector . Next step : I painstakingly detached myself from the various wires and drips that trailed around me as I walked. Almost immediately ,the agony set in. My teeth ground into one and another to try to resist the scream echoing through my body ,and my muscles began to convulse ; still ,I managed to stand upright ,leaning heavily on the wall . I gave myself no more than twenty seconds to get over it ,and ten seconds to connect the wires to some switchboard next to me ,which then began to crackle and sparks started to fly off . That was… interesting to say the least ,mainly because I didn't think that would happen . At least it didn't happen when they did it ,but still ,I knew I could work with it . I allowed the electricity to continue to fizz, quickly amending my plan . I started to walk away from the now violently crackling machine ,and seeing a bag of fluids on the floor ,I picked it up and threw it at the area that was making me grin at the sparks flying off it . The bag hit the board ,and the thing blew up ,flashes of yellow and orange exploding out ,some singeing my arms. It set off a chain reaction ,and the wires running around the walls also blew open . They may have found a way to store this newfangled savant energy, but they obviously hadn't realised simply how explosive it was . The lights around the door shut off ,as did all the lights in the room ,and I could only stare in shock ..and at the coincidence . I didn't even believe in coincidences . I didn't even need the bloody door code I had waited two weeks for . I practically flew out the door ,ignoring the pain ripping through my body ,not daring looking behind me . I also knew , I had about twenty metres before an officer spotted me . Sure enough ,I heard a cry of indignation ,and thundering footsteps as two officials came through a door to see me running . Not one ,two. Shit . I kept running ,though markedly slower ,my hair streaming behind me . _You knew it would hurt_ _. And you know it's about to get worse ._ I breathed in ,trying to prepare for my mental assault . BHAM. My assault rippled through the whole complex ,and people dropped down to the floor . How long could I hold them for ? An hour .At the most . I'd struggle with that when I was at full strength ,never mind how I was after a month of torture . I had an hour to get out of this hell hole.

I fell out of the delivery truck ,wincing at the impact before crawling into an alley by the gas station. Where was I ? I wasn't anywhere remotely near New York ,where I wanted to be ,so now how was I going to get the intel through ? Everyone needed to know it . The FBI ? They're a tiny organisation compared to the world . The MI6 probably needed to know ,they're good with stealth missions. The Savant Net HAD to know ,the UN too . What was I going to do ? I started to walk through a patch of woodland ,shivering violently at the cold ,my feet nipping at the cold of the snow beneath me . God ,I hoped I hadn't missed Christmas . It wasn't long before I stumbled ,and found myself crawling .It wasn't that I was trying not to give up , hell ,I was nowhere near giving up ,but the pain was starting to become too much . I managed to get free of the woodland ,finding myself on a simple lane at sign staring down at me . I sighed , then squinted ,and only then it clicked .I couldn't believe my luck . A steel board smiled at me : Wrickenridge . _Someone up there must really like me_ ,I thought staring at the sky , _Because I have just found where the infamous Benedict's lived ,haven't I ?_ And so I began the long trudge up the hill , praying Victor would be there for some miraculous reason . At his name ,a rush of hidden emotions swept through me ,leaving me trembling . I need you ,Vic.

 **VPOV**

The mess of both physical and telepathic shouting and scolding and horror at my actions to Sky assaulted me ,but I was oblivious . My eyes narrowed at Dad and Will ,who's eyebrows were furrowed as they looked at one and another . Still ,no one noticed ,and the tumult of voices continued until , for the second time tonight ,I snapped. "SHUT UP" I roared ,and a startled silence faced me . I whirled on Dad and Will again ,who now stared at me . "Danger Level?"

"It's not high ,at least directly at us ,but something outside has extreme levels of danger surrounding them" Will replied ,looking me dead on in the eyes .

"Vic ,son ,what it is it ?"

"Someone has broken through the shields . The shields I reinforced not two hours ago ." I turned and stalked out the room towards the door ,ignoring the chorus of voices that started up again . I shoved the door open and froze, my heart sinking to my stomach . A person ,presumably a woman ,lay in a heap on the floor just in front of the shields ,in only one of those hospital gowns ,but lying in the snow . I started to run towards her , a sense of dread filling me . I reached her ,and sank to the ground ,all thoughts out of my head as robotically I took her in my arms ,almost as if I didn't know how . Her hair tangled, her face badly bruised ,hollow and god don't get me started on the rest of her injuries ,but still I was frozen from acting . Because ,lying in my arms ,was Rose .

She squinted at me ,then rasped : "Thank God" . Tears started leaking out of her eyes ,and I was vaguely aware of a tear rolling down my cheek ,as I just stared . What had happened to her ? What have they done to her? "Your going to hate me for this ,but I have to tell you something . Well two things .And ,I'm ..sorry ..God I'm sorry Vic" I just held her tighter .Her breathing was getting heavier and heavier : "Well first off –code-code red. Tell the Savant Net ,the. ..the CIA ,the FBI …code red ,please ,Vic ,please" I couldn't speak still ? What had happened? "And," ,she said ,still crying slightly "I know I shouldn't tell you ,or I should have told you earlier ,but … I –I didn't know what to do ,I'm sorry ". _Vic I'm your Soulfinder._

 _ **REVIEW PLEASE. CRITISISM ,LIKES ,AND DISLIKES I WOULD LOVE TO HERE. AS CHAPTER SHOULD BE HERE TOMMOROW (FRIDAY) OR ON SATURDAY.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Reaching Rose Chapter 4

 _ **Oh my God. Chapter Four (my favourite so far ,if I may say so).**_

 _ **To my two constant reviewers : lamaaacorn and I'mjustdancingintherain .You two give me hope ! You make me have soooo much faith in my writing –I don't know what I'd do without you. I hope you like the next chapter as much as the last three .**_

 _ **On a slightly sadder note ,I would really appreciate some more reviewers guys. If there is anybody out there who has read my story so far- please review. It helps me improve my writing and my confidence – I NEED DA REVIEWS . Just so I can know you appreciate the story ,and also so I can develop it – I don't want to have to discontinue it**_ _ **.**_

 _ **ANYHOO. HERE GOES :**_

 **VPOV**

I stared at her in shock ;but she was lying unconscious in my arms, I rushed inside ,carrying her in my arms ,I sat on the first sofa I found ,still holding her ,and waited for her to wake up .

I was running my hands through her hair ,looking at her delicate face, beaten and bruised ,and my heart ached . Her eyes fluttered open ,and she stared at me ,her emotions written all over her face- something I'd never seen on Rose before. Guilt ; guilt and apology was all over her face .I decided I may as well find out what the hell had happened ,starting with the whole soulfinder debacle : "How ?...I- I don't understand . You said… "

She shook her head : " I lied Vic . I'm sorry but- but I had to , I didn't really have a choice " .I was vaguely aware that my family had formed a circle around us ,and were watching the whole confrontation with a mixture of interest and worry and increasing fear . Fear for Rose . And fear _of_ Rose . "I couldn't tell you Vic" she continued ,"God ,I wanted to ,but I thought I'd probably die –I -I still might ,at this rate" She was now gasping ,and so I snapped out of my reverie to look at Xav . Xav quickly knelt beside me and hovered his hands over Rose's battered body ,his brows furrowed in concentration. All I could do was watch ,and hold her tighter ,and God it was killing me. Xav stopped and looked at me with a pained expression "I'm –I'm sorry Vic ,I've healed all the bruising and surface injuries that I can ,but there's some sort of underlying sickness. It's like she's -she's -"

"High ? I'm drugged up beyond possible ,right ? " Rose interrupted ,and let out a hollow, broken laugh ,and my heart contracted painfully . "God ,it's even worse than I thought. That energy is unbelievable " .

"Energy ? What energy Rose ?" _What have they done to her ?_ My eyes searched hers ,demanding an answer .

"Don't get pissy Vic ,I'm not in the mood . My mission- "She shuddered . "My mission was to get intel on a suspicious crime organisation ,coded the Dark Met , you remember Vic ? Anyway ,we knew about their chemical testing ,their gangs who were dealing drugs , et cetera, et cetera but we thought they might have discovered something new. And infinitely dangerous . The quickest and easiest way to find out what it was and how dangerous it was , was for an agent to purposefully get caught. I'm surprised they fell for it ,actually . " Fury began to fill me. They'd sent her on a suicide mission . Glancing at my face ,Rose winced ; "I'm glad I went though with it Vic . As painful as it was leaving you ,I –I discovered something . They did have …something… new .Something destructive . They'd discovered a new wavelength of energy ,sensitive to the mediums found in the Savant gene . Basically ,a way to hurt ,and even kill savants , and only savants. In a room full of a mix of people ,at the right frequency ,this energy would kill the maybe three select savants in the room ,without anyone else feeling or knowing anything ." Various degrees of shock and worry and fear were circulating around he room . "They also discovered, at a lower frequency ,this energy could greatly increase a savant's power –but at the savants cost. It -it hurt. A lot " The shocked faces turned to her ,and my rage started to overcome everything else I was thinking . Rose smiled wryly ,grimly . "Yes they tested on me . They wanted to find out how and to what extent my powers increased under the influence of this new energy ,and at what point I could handle it until I became critical. They believed it depended on the savant. From what I could gather ,I wasn't the first they experimented on, and I won't be the last", and now a degree of anger could be seen on her face too . "They seemed shocked at the levels my body could handle –perhaps I'm more tolerant to it for some reason . I'm considered a dangerous savant in the Net database ,I guess and ,mind –manipulative savants seemed to do especially well actually." Her eyes were glazed over ,and she was trembling slightly : "I'm sorry for ruining your evening –I didn't know what else to do . Who to come to ."

"Don't you dare be sorry , you have no reason to Rose" I replied ,eyes blazing ,and Rose smiled softly at my outburst . "Still , I bet it was a shock." She turned serious again . "Can I borrow a landline phone ? Not a mobile ,sorry ,they're easier to trace . "

"Don't ,I'll ring work , do the admin ,you just need rest, and I doubt a hospital is going to be able to help you ." She shook her head grimly at that . "Let me take you to a room then ."

"No ,no really ,I'm fine here ." _Seriously Rose ?_ She relented ,sighing ,and I picked her too light frame up and carried her princess style to my bed ,where I lay her down and turned to leave her alone ,but she grabbed my arm : _Stay with me ?_ _Just until I fall asleep_. I saw her fear ,and worry and exhaustion and pain ,and my heart clenched for the millionth time this evening . _Of course ._ I lay down next to her ,holding her in my arms ,burying my head in her hair ,breathing her in, running my hands up and down her back ,right until I felt her drift off . _I've found her. I've found my soulfinder._ And it was someone I've loved all along.

I eased myself away from Rose, taking care not to wake her up, and jogged back downstairs. I stopped outside the sitting-room ,hearing the multitudes of raised voices. _Here we go then_ ,I thought, opening the door.

Everyone fell silent as I walked in .And I mean everyone . God, that was a miracle and a half in itself . First things first though : "I'm sorry Sky . I really am . I-I…don't know what came over me "

"It's fine Vic "she said ,smiling slightly "If anything we should all be apologising ,we had no idea how you were feeling, we…we didn't even consider it ." I must have seemed confused ,because she explained "I saw your aura, for the first time…ever ." Ah .My whole family seemed to look down at their feet ,guilt written across their features. I sighed.

"It's fine… I shouldn't have taken it out on you lot ,there was nothing you could have done ."

"We could have at least realised ,and tried to help you , in whatever way we can. " Xav argued , Crystal and Sky nodding .

"It's nothing ,really ,we have bigger problems now ." My Dad nodded ,before deciding to make an input. "This Rose girl …is she…"

"Yes Dad, she's my soulfinder " I smiled ,my thoughts wandering to the whole amazing coincidence that had fallen upon me. My family seemed happy for me ,but …reserved . Of course they would be. We'd dealt with threats before ,but this threat was beyond my family ,beyond me even , treading in the danger territory that the only person I knew entered was Rose . Of course. "This… problem . I don't think I want the rest of the family involved Vic -" Dad continued but winced as the chorus of voices started to argue at this statement . This was obviously what they had been debating before I arrived. I sat down ,running my hands over my face . I didn't want my family hurt ,but this threat ,it involved the whole of the Savant community ,and whether they wanted to admit or not ,my family were extremely strong individually ,but even stronger when we all worked together .What was I supposed to do ? Iwanted to help Rose especially _._ Mom obviously knew the answer ,as she interrupted the cacophony ,clapping her hands : "QUIET. Ok . We're going to have a vote ,kiddos ." Only Mom would call the Benedicts kiddos . "I vote yes. To help the whole savant community . And more importantly ,to help my family . Yes all of you lot –especially Rose ,Vic . That poor girl ." Mom seemed emotional ,and shook her head .I smiled at her –she already considered Rose family . Xav, Crystal , Sky and Phoenix were quick to agree ,making the vote 5-0 . Will and Margot exchanged a look ,and obviously some telepathy ,before Will spoke up : "We vote yes too . The danger levels seem ..extortionate …but we've always stood up against the baddies . As a family." Uriel and Tarryn looked at me ,then each other ,before agreeing to help too . Trace nodded at me ,wincing slightly ,and Diamond just smiled . The two reserved ones .11-0 . Over half the family –but I sort of wanted the whole family in agreement . Yeves and Zed seemed torn –over protecting savants , and keeping their soulfinders, their family ,out of the danger rapidly approaching . After some agonizing silence ,and some obvious heated telepathic with their soulfinders ,Yeves spoke up ,smiling at me : "The benefits outweigh the threat . And you- you've always helped us and our soulfinders in whatever way you can – so now it's time to return the favour . We'll help you –and Rose ." I stared at Dad . Who stared back . Until – "The danger is… like nothing I've ever seen before . But – how could I argue with my entire family –and the rather impressive case they've made ." I grinned at them all ,slightly worried for them ,but so grateful ,so proud of them . We really are a force to be reckoned with. I continued smiling ,and a hubbub of conversation and preparation began . But then the screaming started.

I took the stairs two at a time ,the majority of my family following me ,and sprinted down the hallway to my door ,flinging it open ,to find Rose thrashing and screaming : " _Please_. I'm begging you ! NO- NO MORE , God . _Please ,no, please!_ You- you said you'd finished ,you'd g-gotten the results " She screamed again ,and my whole world stopped turning . Look at what they'd done to her. These people needed to suffer. I ran over to her and sat by her ,running my hands through her hair ,trying ,begging, for her to wake up : "Rose please _,please_ ,wake up . It's a dream ,a nightmare ,you're not there anymore I promise ." Eventually the screaming gave way to sobbing, and her eyes opened ,squinting at the light that someone had turned on . "V-Vic?" I smiled at her ,tears in my eyes ,my hands still in her hair ,my legs pressed against hers as I held her . I never wanted to let her go. "I'm here baby , this is real ,I promise."

 **RPOV**

My body threw itself out of the chair I'd been tortured in ,the pain shooting through me ,the will to give up large , but I heard a voice . It was Vic ,and slowly but surely ,I managed to wake up and realise it was a dream ,and that Vic holding me ,caring for me , that was now reality.

The rest of the Benedicts stood a respectful distance away ,all gazing at me with worry . I shifted ,somewhat uncomfortable . I'd really fucked up their day "Don't worry about it . It is no way your fault " Vic spoke to me softly .I gazed up at him . How could he be real? My hands touched his face ,skimming his jaw line. Now that they were sure I wasn't dying ,the rest of Vic's family left ,deciding to leave me and Vic alone, softly shutting the door. Vic rested his forehead against mine ,as I sat up ,our noses touching : "You have no idea how much I've missed you ." He said.

"I have some idea" I replied ,smiling at his eyes ,his nose , just _him_. My eyes closed and I just breathed him in, tears trickling down from underneath my closed lids as everything caught up with me. His rough fingers brushed them away : "I am so sorry ." he breathed. My eyes opened : "Why?" I questioned .

"I should have helped you ,done something when I realised you were MIA -" I pressed my finger to his lips ,stopping him. "There was nothing you could have done _. Nothing_ ,Vic ."

"Still, the pain you went through, the pain you're going through … " He sighed .

"Is not your fault. Vic you have to know ,this is my job. Like it is yours ,and yes, this was pretty bad-"

"Pretty bad? Pretty fucking BAD ?!" At a loss of what else to do ,I kissed him, my lips pressed against his . The shock subsided and he kissed me back ,reverently ,our lips moving in sync ,in perfect harmony . My eyes fluttered closed and his hands traced my back ,running through my hair. I twined my hands up and around his neck ,tugging at the tufts of hair at the bottom of the head. And in that moment ,nothing else mattered . Everything was perfect . And ,I knew as long as I had Vic, and he had me ,nothing could go wrong.

 _ **WOOHOO CHAPTER FOUR DONE AND DUSTED. Honestly ,that was so lovely to write. Per usual ,thoughts ,likes and dislikes would be greatly appreciated in a REVIEW . Next chapter should be up by Tuesday/Wednesday.**_


	5. Chapter 5

Reaching Rose Chapter 5

 _ **Okay chapter 5 ,here we go .**_

 _ **Every 5 chapters or so I'll put in a disclaimer saying : I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING YOU RECOGNISE ,THAT BELONGS TO OUR SAVIOUR JOSS STIRLING.**_

 _ **To my two consistent reviewers ,this is dedicated to you . You make me so happy .**_

 **RPOV**

Vic left after I had assured him I wasn't going to have a panic attack - he didn't want to make the wrong impression on his family ,I guessed .

I woke up various times in the night ,not screaming ,thank god -I'd embarrassed myself enough the first time – but I woke up frozen , petrified ,on the verge of hyperventilating . I had no idea the mission had affected me that much. I kept repeating the same command to myself : _Breathe . In four 4 ,out for 8. You're not there anymore . Think of Vic_ . At about four o clock in the morning I gave up trying to sleep ,and sat up in Vic's bed ,missing him lying next me ,somewhat cold and aching without him . I held the duvet up to my nose and inhaled deeply ,breathing in his raw scent – a mixture of pine and a purely masculine aftershave , and I relaxed instantly . I spent the remainder of the night reading a stash of comics I found hidden behind a book case. A remnant of Vic's childhood ,and I smiled ,imagining Vic as a little boy , running around .Carefree ,and happy. I want to bring out that side of Vic again . I thought about the absolute joy and happiness that I was feeling despite everything. Because it was true ,your soulfinder made everything for you . Completed you . And I was lucky enough to have found him. I took a minute ,as the sun rose ,casting an orangey glow on the whole of the little town. The warm glow seeped through the curtains ,bleeding onto the floor ,and so I turned the light off and clambered out of bed ,opening the curtains grinning at the light . I saw in the distance the infamous slopes ,snow falling everywhere I could see. Dusting everything a frosty white. Just like it had those many years ago with my brother and Mum. I still had it -that hope and faith in the happy moments . And I knew as long as I had it , everything _would_ be okay .

 _ **PAGE BREAK- coz I still haven't worked out how to get them to work on .**_

Once I heard that a good amount of Vic's family were up , I decided to brave going downstairs ,nerves fluttering in my stomach . I know right ? A world re-known agent , who went on mission where she was purposefully experimented on to get information ,is scared of meeting her boyfriend's family . _Boyfriend_ . AGH. Was that where we were ? Were we _dating_ ?! I'd never really had any long term relationships –like a soulfinder one usually is. Come on Rose ,get it together . I grabbed a hoodie and put it on and sighed. It was like an almost-hug from Vic . I shook my body about, wiggling my toes ,and opened the door my bare feet patting down the stairs ,while I tried to remember where the various rooms were from the whole debacle that happened last night . I found the family congregating in the massive kitchen –understandable if the Benedict brothers had grown up here. I shuffled in ,calling out telepathically for Vic before any of them noticed me . He suddenly appeared behind me ,rubbing my arms while he gently lead me towards a seat at a bar-table thingy-ma-jig . _I see someone likes my hoodie_. I smiled ,blushing lightly : _Can you blame me ?_

 _Definitely not._

A young girl with stunning blonde hair smiled at me ,whispering at something to the boy next to her, probably her soulfinder from the way she was perched on his lap . I looked at his heavy jaw line and dark eyes , an impressive resemblance to Vic clear ,but a little more sulky . The bad boy ? I think the youngest . Which meant …Z…Zed! I racked my brain ,thinking of his soulfinder ,who Vic HAD told me the name of . Something bright . I looked at her clear blue eyes . SKY . I mentally high fived myself for my feat ,grinning at my awesome deduction skills. Vic chuckled and I looked up at him ,raising an eyebrow. _They're going to introduce themselves now so you have to act surprised,_ he said .Sure enough they stood up and made their way over : "Hi ,I'm Sky ,and this ball of macho silence is my soulfinder ,Zed " She said smiling slightly ,while Zed was ever the tall ,intimidating Benedict ,and just nodded .

"The youngest pair right ?The babies " I replied ,simply raising an eyebrow at Zed , and smiled. "If Vic hasn't been polite and told you ,which he probably hasn't . I'm Rose ." Sky laughed lightly ,and even Zed seemed to soften lightly .I'm just so likable . Vic snorted at this ,but I just stared at him and he stopped short ,much to the amusement of the pair in front of me . Who were the older, responsible ones again ? "Would you like an introduction of everyone ?" Sky asked ,to which I nodded profusely. I wasn't going to work out all of them .

"Right ,the pair sitting over there at the computer ,with the guy with the glasses on in Yeves and Phoenix .Yeves is our little family nerd .Phoenix ? Just don't mess with her." I remembered her from the Seer in London . Sky continued "And the two throwing oranges at each other telekinetically are Xav and Crystal . The jokers . And also our fashonistas . Need fashion advice ? Go to them . Either of them ,actually . Will and Margot are the pair making pancakes – the chilled out ones . Uriel and Tarryn are the pair at the laptop – skyping friends in South Africa ,I believe. Aaand finally - Trace and Diamond are the pair standing with Saul and Karla - who I'm sure you've worked out ." I had ,and so smiled in thanks .The family started to gravitate towards the table . Seeing the sombre looks staring at my face ,I knew something big had been discussed – I looked at Vic, who just smiled ,somewhat encouragingly ,somewhat grimly .So I looked at the family ,who had all fallen to absolute silence ,staring at one and another ,and me . I decided ,rather than wait in this agonizing silence ,to find out exactly what was going on .And also to actually introduce myself , as Vic hadn't . "Hi ,um , I'm Rose ,Vic's soulfinder . I'm incredibly sorry to impose on your family like I did last night " ,I started ,aiming the last part at Saul and Karla . I swallowed ,continuing while Vic rubbed my back "I'm a colleague of Vic's too . I think all of you heard what happened last night ,and I really don't want you to worry. Now that we have the information needed ,we should be able to take down this organisation-" Saul interrupted me :

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about. We know it's a big threat , and we… we want to help ." I blinked . Then looked at Vic ,,my eyebrows furrowed . He rubbed my frown softly with his fingers : _It's true we voted on it.. And every one agreed to help in the end_ . I was shaking my head before he had even finished : "No. NO .All due respect Mr Benedict this threat . I don't want innocent lives involved - "

"Rose dear . You're family now ,and this threat involves you especially . We want to help you eradicate these …these evils . For all of the savant community , and for you ,and what they did to ." Karla stated ,to the smiles and nods off the rest of the family . I sighed , looking at their determination . "Well you all handled the Kellys ,the Seer and tons of other fiascos well . And you're not going to take no for an answer ,so thankyou " I said smiling . "And I hope you're all ready ."

 _ **PAGEEEEEEEEEEEE BREEEEEEEEAK AGAIN SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE**_

The Benedicts whirled around me ,either planning for the upcoming "mission" or Christmas ,which I'd discovered was tomorrow . The scene wasn't unlike that of the FBI base before I went on my last mission ,and I smiled, before turning back to my priorities . Shower. I really , _really_ needed a shower . Think of how a zoo smells. Cross it with how a bin smells . Multiply it by ten ,and viola. You've got the beautiful scent I was currently radiating. I found Diamond- at least I think it was Diamond- and decided she was least scary to ask : "I'm really sorry Diamond : I need a shower . Can I use your -"

"Sure sure ,go for it honey . The last door on the left upstairs ,and towels should be in the cupboard in the bathroom too . Now for clothes -"

"Borrow mine –take whatever you need from the door before Diamond and Trace's . In fact ,keep anything you take . I have more than enough clothes. Will go clothes shopping for you at some point ,if you don't feel up to it ." Margot said whirling past. I smiled in thanks ,a smile which they returned kindly . "Now ,go . Shoo . Come back smelling nice ,girl ." Margot continued ,before walking past. Point taken . I walked upstairs ,still slightly wrecked . I hadn't been able to eat this morning ,luckily no one commented ,but I did notice wary looks from Vic ,as if I was about to keel over at any point . Which I would have been pissed about ,but I kinda actually did feel as if I was about to keel over. I went into Margot's room ,and took a selection of clothes and underwear ,feeling immensely guilty ,but knowing all the while it was necessary . I then walked into the bathroom next door ,remembering to look the door –no privacy in a house of fifteen other people. I stripped off the hoodie and the little clothing I had underneath ,stepping into the shower . I turned the water on ,and also upped the temperature so that it almost scorched my back ,the pain distracting my from the weak feeling coursing through my legs . I washed ,shaved ,did all the various things I had been deprived of for about a month ,water cascading down my back . I must have been in there for half an hour before I stepped out and dried myself off, my skin somewhat reddened by the furious washing I had subjected it to. I then picked through the clothes, finding some that fitted me best before cleaning up the shower from the discarded clothes and wash products .I practically stumbled out the bathroom , my eyes heavy as I stumbled about ,putting the rest of the clothes where they belonged ,and I fumbled along door handles until I found Vic's ,where I collapsed infront of the door. And it wasn't even midday yet . About five minutes later ,I felt string hands pick me up and carry me to the bed . He brushed my hair out of my face and kissed me lightly on the forehead before leaving the room ,shutting the door quietly behind him. I wanted to ask him to say ,but my voice was lost somewhere as I sank into the beckoning darkness .

 _ **PAGE BREAK. THIS IS ANNOYING ME TOO NOW ,SORRY.**_

I woke up and practically fell downstairs ,remembering something ,running past the floods of pain in my body. I found the entire family either concentrating over a table –perhaps the mission ? Or playing a rather heated game of monopoly . I really wanted to play monopoly now. Damn .Concentrate Rose . Vic's head shot up ,as did many ,at my rather loud and unexpected entrance : "The energy . The savant energy " I gasped ,and Vic practically ran across the room to me as I stumbled ,he held me up ,his arms clasped around my waist ,his face concerned . "It could –it could only be contained in – in . DAMN IT. What's it called? An- an allotrope of carbon " I got out ,searching ,searching for the Nerdy One . That was my official nickname for him : "Yeves right ? You're the smart one ,the tech genius . Name all of the allotropes of carbon. Quickly !"

"Um Diamond ? Silica ? Graphite ? Graphene ?" He listed ,face concentrating . I shook my head.

"Nanocarbons then : Nanotubes ? Buckminsterfullerene maybe ? " I sighed : no .

"I can't think of any-wait. Vitreous carbon? It's often called -"

"Glassy carbon ." I finished . I turned fast ,looking at Vic . "Why did we have a load of 'glassy carbon' in storage at work ?"

"Um because ,the scientists… they …they'd found a new way to use it in the electrode experiment thingy they were planning-"

"Right ,right ,okay . But it went missing . When?"

Victor's face cleared , a calm fury setting in ."The day before you went on your mission. And the only way for someone to have stolen it was for someone on the inside to have betrayed us meaning-"

"We have a traitor in the FBI . Maybe more than one " I breathed . I stumbled ,only for Vic to catch me and sit me down ,the rest of the family making way for me ,looking either concerned ,scared or confused _. Me too guys ,me too_ , I thought . I spoke to them : "This has just gotten a lot harder. Because now we can't really trust or use the FBI ." And so the planning began again ,numerous voices starting up ,the monopoly packed away .

 _ **PAGE BREAK . I AM SO SORRY .**_

About an hour later ,despite the mayhem , Vic sat down next to me : "You need to eat ." I sighed. I knew this was coming but I really couldn't face it. I'd had limited food to begin with in my cell ,and I probably hadn't actually eaten anything in a week .Maybe even two : "Vic –I -"

"NO . Come on ." He picked me up – something I was starting to enjoy quite a lot, and sat me down in the kitchen in front of some mysterious looking soup and what I think was tea . I felt a nausea start to build up inside of me ,but Vic continued, picking up a spoon and handing it to me ,loaded with soup . I put it back in the bowl . And so he picked it up and nudged my mouth with it . My stomach convulsed and flipped ,and I felt my forehead start to heat up. "Vic!" I warned .

"I don't care Rose ,you need to eat . You'll feel better ,and so I'll feel better ,if you eat" . I gagged and practically flew towards the sink where a retched profusely ,nothing but a clear liquid coming up. Vic rushed over to hold my hair back ,bless him ,rubbing my back as I threw up nothing ,tears leaking out my eyes . I didn't want him to see me like this. Once I was done ,I turned my face away from Vic's searching eyes ,but he grabbed my chin forcing my head towards his . "God Rose , baby I -" His voice broke and my tears started anew . "When was the last time you ate ? "

"I- I don't know . Maybe a week ago ? Maybe two ?" I sobbed and he pulled me to him ,his muscles clenched in anger ,but relaxed as I twined my hands around his neck. "Xav – Xav says there's no easy way to do this," Vic said ,and I nodded against his chest , figuring that would be the case. And so he sat me down again. And I ate . Ate and gagged ,ate and retched ,but kept the food down . It took about two hours of me breaking down ,and Vic comforting me ,coaxing me to eat ,but I did it . I ate the soup ,drank a good amount of the tea , and I fell into Vic's arms ,who just held me . _Thankyou._

 _Anything ,anything for you . To make you happy ,and healthy baby ._ He smiled ,but I noticed a little tension behind his smile ,his eyes .

What is it ?

Nothing .

Let me help .Please .

He sighed ,then spoke : "I can't work out who compromised us at work and …and there we can't access the FBI for fear of losing the little advantages we have . ABD without the FBI . We don't have the resources we need for this. I –I don't want to lead my family ,you , into a killing field ."

I searched his eyes ,wincing at the pain in them : "You won't lead anyone into a killing field. I promise you that won't happen .The traitor , that is just going to take time . And resources ? I guess I have a few calls to make ." I said ,smirking slightly . He looked at me ,confused ,but then smiled ,resting his forehead on mine .

"I love you ,Rose Albions ."

"And I love you ,Victor Benedict "

 _ **WHEW . LONGEST CHAPTER YET . I hope you liked it , but tell me if you did or didn't IN A REVIEW PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE. I'm going to be honest and say I have no idea when my next chapter will be uploaded ,but I promise ASAP . TTFN GUYS !**_


	6. EDIT PLEASE READ

Edit : I've just read my new chapter and I'm so sorry I've uploaded my draft - hence all the mistakes. I'll keep it up , but just to let you know thats why this chapter was quite hard for you to read. Again I'm so sorry this shouldn't happen again . Love you all PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP ON THIS STORY . AH I'm being too dramatic. Love you all see you soon xx


	7. Chapter 6

Reaching Rose Chapter 6

 **okay. First off I'm sorry this is later than normal -I've been so busy. Secondly to llamaacorn and I'mjustdancingintherain : I love you two .You make me so happy thank you for your continued support . Lastly : TO MY GUEST REVIWER. Please stick around and review again- I would love that ,and rose and vic would too. Don't be sorry I'm glad you found the page break thing funny . Unfortunately I have no page breaks this chapter tho :-(**

 **Also I'm sorry this is kinda a re-upload. It didn't upload properly last time for some reason . But I added some more to the chapter to make up for it.**

 **HERE GOES I HOPE LIKE IT :**

 **VPOV**

Rose sat working , aided by various members of the family, still looking worryingly unwell but despite everything she'd been through somehow beautiful. Her fiery red hair fell down her back in curls , and when she turned to look at me my heart stopped. Her startling but still captivating green eyes gazed into mine , freckles littered across her cheeks. She smiled at me and I knew I was a dead man. I managed to smile back , and her smile changed into a smirk .

 _See something you like ?_

 _Very much ._ Rose being Rose , she didn't blush , but smiled again , winking , her full reddy pink lips pouting slightly. That was Rose to the T , a reserved calm agent , but underneath a fiery ,fun ,flirtatious personality that matched her hair , and she balanced my all work and no play demeanour entirely.

An all too familiar clap broke my Rose-inspired trance ,my Mom breaking into the gloom that had settled on the family - even the ones who weren't working. "Boys and girls , it's dinnertime again. Zed , Yeves - I need you to set the table, it's your turn . Everyone else ? Get ready for pasta night." The resounding cheers at Mom's infamous pasta resounded , drowning out Zed's grumbles , as we all got ready for dinner. I headed towards Rose ,who was looking a little sick at the idea of more food. My heart clenched ; I couldn't forget what those bastards had done to her . Mom ,obviously sensing Roses' discomfort too , bustled over just as I reached her , my supporting hand on her waist.

"You don't need to eat anything dear , I think you ate enough at lunch . Eat whatever you feel like" she said , looking at me and Rose.I grimaced thinking of lunch. It just reminded me of how bad Rose actually was but Rose smiled gratefully in thanks , the corner's of her eyes crinkling up , which I found adorable . Mom smiled as Rose gazed up at me and I kissed her forehead , before hurrying off , muttering something about how she couldn't understand why there were such evil people in the world that could 'hurt such a sweet girl like her' . Rose snorted at my mom's description of her , and even I couldn't help but grin.

 _She's right though. You can be adorable ._ Rose shook her head but I stopped her , continuing. _You are. And those savants . They're - they're disgusting. And I'm so sorry you went through that , whilst I did nothing._

Rose shook her head again whilst cupping my face _. Vic we've been through this. There was nothing-absolutely nothing -you could have done. No , don't argue with me , I know there was nothing you could have done . And I knew what I was walking into. Trust me. I had a good idea I was going to be experimented on -_ I flinched but she continued on- _pretty much from the moment I walked in. I did Vic , but I accepted it . I knew it would hurt and damage me exponentially , and you too , but I knew you'd understand ._

I kissed her , pouring all my rage , my pain , and my happiness too , into just one kiss , but hoping that she would accept and understand the words and emotion behind it . The stuff I couldn't say. She took it all , understood even , and reponded in kind . We broke the kiss off simultaneously , and much too soon , before I lead her to the table.

 **RPOV**

I sat at the Benedict dinner table, feeling slightly awkward as they sat and chatted , eating I'm sure some delicious food , while I sat nursing a tea. Saul suddenly spoke to me :

"So Rose , where abouts are you from exactly?"

"Originally ? England actually . " . The majority of the family looked up at me . Xav grinned :

"Another soulfinder from England ? Damn , we're gonna start to be overrun by fish and chips and marmite!" .Crystal hit him on the arm ,before explaining ,

"Phoenix and Sky are both from England , and Diamond and I part English , part Italian"

'If you don't mind me asking , why don't you have an accent ? Phee and Sky have a strong one , but you even sound American " Xav asked , a mix of genuine curiosity and mischief written across his face.

"Oh you mean this British accent Xav dearest ?" I asked putting on an immediate British accent , raising an eyebrow and smiling slightly as Xav's jaw dropped.

The Benedict clan seemed slightly startled , and I grinned.

"It's handy to be able to imitate accents when you're an agent," I explained , "Vic can do various american and english accents too you know?" Their eyes snapped to Vic , who groaned .

"We did not know that , did we Vic , oh darling brother of ours ?" Xav practically purred , and Vic hit his head on the table repeatedly.

"Why did you tell them?" he moaned , and I smirked . Crystal , after laughing at Vic ,turned to me , intrigued :

"Do you know any languages then ?"

I smiled , before answering: "I do actually. I know average spanish and french , and therefore can sort of work out bits of italian and portugese. I also know very limited russian and arabic- but really very little. I've always hated learning languages -so learning whole new alphabets was a bit much. You're bilingual right?" She nodded and I sighed. "See that makes me have so much respect for you - but also makes me totally jealous" I said , smiling to let her know I was kidding .Kind of. She laughed.

"Still -that's amazing. I struggled with learning just one language- I dropped it as soon as I could" Sky gushed, making me smile .

"Like I said - I'm really not that great at any of them."

Saul smiled , before asking a new question: "I bet you're being modest and can speak them all fluently ," I shook my head emphatically , and honestly , but Saul continued asking about my savant gift. I sighed internally -this might make them less comfortable with me.

"I can manipulate the part of your mind that feels emotion. So I can make you feel any emotion, at any scale." Raised eyebrows. Intrigued at my gift , and it's power , but not worried . I breathed carefully. They're my soulfinder's family. They deserve to know "I also have been...taught...to use it as a weapon. I can visualise certain emotions as actual weapons so that you feel as if you've been stabbed for example, and you're body is hurt as if you are too." I felt slight unease go through the room.

Here's the thing : I've known from a young age that my gift is powerful. That I'm powerful. I'm not even bragging - I know in some ways I'm blessed , but in some ways my gift is more of a curse. I can suck the emotion out of someone- make them a shell of themselves. Or I can drive them to suicide by overloading them with emotion . And if I lose control, I can do it by accident, just like that, for simple things like losing a shoe. I felt Vic's hand trace circles onto my back reassuringly . He understands . He just does. For various reasons . But they don't need explaining, because he understands ,like I do him, and that's all that matters.

Still , I needn't have worried . Zed just whistled , smiling slightly "Vic, you've given us the most badass sister ever dude!" . I let a breath out that I didn't realised I'd been holding as they all agreed , laughing a little. _You're family is amazing Vic._

 _You mean our family , babe. You're stuck with us now._

I smiled back, my heart threatening to fly away it was so light.

Chatter resumed as dinner was finished up ,and Karla took control once more . "Right my dears , it's Christmas eve . You know what that means! " There were various cheers and smiles ,separated by Trace's groan ,which caused a ripple of laughter through the family . I raised an eyebrow at Vic ,who was chuckling at his brother's antics ,before he explained : "We're having a little musical get together ,singing loads of carols . We always do at Christmas . Unfortunately ,poor Tracey here is the only brother who hasn't inherited our awesome music gene ." He said ,smirking to Trace's protests . Karla dived upon me before I could reply to Vic's teasing , startling me slightly , but making me smile : "Do you play any instruments dear ? It's okay if you don't ,but we would love for you to join ." ,she smiled kindly ,and I hesitated ,before reasoning it was worth at least asking : "I don't suppose you have a piano I can borrow ?" . Saul looked up , "As a matter of fact ,we do ."

 ***** (I lied . Maybe one pagebreak . Llamaacorn thankyou for the idea :) )**

So that was how I managed to end up sitting at a rather beautiful upright piano , running my fingers up and down the ivories ,without pressing them ,while the rest of the family bubbled around me ,preparing . I brushed of a layer of dust . It was so old ,majestic ; it felt almost like sacrilege to play .

 _I didn't even know you played._ Vic stated ,wandering over,his brows furrowed ,but still smiling at my actions.

 _I haven't in a ...long time. I probably won't be any good._ I answered ,somewhat entranced by the piano at my fingertips .

 _Nah ,I bet your lying . You're gonna put us all to shame ._ I smiled ,and bit my lip. _But really ,_ he continued , _I've never seen you so...calm ,at peace._

 _The piano, it's very special to me ._ I admitted.

 _I'm glad it's being used, and I'm glad it makes you feel like this ... you deserve it ,deserve to feel at peace after everything._ I smiled up at him ,loving him for knowing . For knowing not to ask any questions that I really didn't want to answer ,and happiness coursed through me . Still ,I had a feeling . A feeling skittering through me ...unease. Maybe I'm being paranoid , I thought ,but I need to be ready for something ... something bad. I sighed. The bad things just never ended.

There was a chorus of voices starting to argue . I looked up ,to find the majority of the family pleading with Sky ,who was stubbornly shaking her head , her cheeks slightly pink : "No guys. I'm sorry ,I am , but I'm not singing. " She said. I dipped my power into her mind feeling fear and embarrassment running through it ,and so I gave her a little confidence boost , made her feel a little braver ,but not actually taking away any of her emotion -I didn't like doing that. I then decided to speak up ; "Sky ?" She looked at me from where she was sitting ,her saxophone in hand. "How about if I sing with you ?" She looked down ,shaking her head ,but I continued . "We can choose something we both know ,and I'll sing the verses with you ,and everyone who can ,can sing at the chorus . Please ? For me . " I pleaded ,and she eventually nodded ,smiling at me. The rest of the family stood in shock as I beckoned her over to sit with me at the piano . She blushed a little ,but didn't back down asking me , "Do you know 'Fairy Tale of New York' ? It's not a carol per say ,but it'll good fun to sing ."

"Do I know it ? Hun it's my favourite Christmas song !" I exclaimed. I was glad to find out that the rest if the Benedicts and co. knew it too despite their american-ness. Sky , bless her , was looking rather green so I decided to offer a little help : "I'll start 'kay ?" She smiled in thanks , and I breathed in , loosing the nerves once touching the piano . I started of gently , playing the intro melody , the chords flashing through my memory to my relief. I started to sing:

"It was Christmas eve babe,

In the drunk tank,

An old man said to me , won't see another one,

And then he sang a song ,

A rare old mountain dew ,

I turned my face away ,

And dreamed about you,

Got on a lucky one,

Came in eighteen to one,

I've got a feeling,

This year's for me and you,

So happy Christmas , I love you baby ,

I can see a better time ,when all our dreams come true. " I smiled as Saul's fiddle - I know , a BLOODY FIDDLE , I didn't know what to think either - joined in with Sky's piccolo . God they were so musical. The music picked up and started singing on her own , completely okay as she was lost in the music. I called out telepathically , asking Zed to sing the other part ,my voice only joining in to harmonise with Sky's on occasion. My fingers ran over the keys and I smiled at the music , and the joy behind it , even as the song finished with my little piano tune. A stunned silence took over . Suddenly Xav and Zed and Willstarted cheering and soon the rest of the family joined in , whistling and clapping , congratulating both Sky and ,much to my embarrassment ,me. The evening ran into the night as we sang carols and chatted and laughed .

I fell asleep happy ... but still unnerved. I couldn't shake my awkward feeling , and it ruined a perfect evening for me. . And I should have listened to it , because I woke up the next morning to a scream.

 **DUN DUN DUN.**

 **YAAAAAS IT'S FINALLY FINISHED. Please review , follow and fav telling me what you liked and what you didn't and I'm sorry for all the lyrics - but I love that song. I'm feeling Christmassy . Sorry. I know it's only October but bare with me. Also i feel as if that didn't have enough rosexvic fluff towards the end of that so there will be more next chapter .LOVE Y'ALL AND I'LL UPDATE ASAP FOR YOU XX**


	8. Chapter 7

**Okay . I'm sorry, this is way later than I wanted it to be but I've been really busy, plus I've rewritten parts of this chapter so many times because I didn't like it. Bare with me k ? I'm new to this sheet.**

 **Llamaacorn and I'mJustDancingInTheRain : you two are the most amazing peeps to walk this earth thankyou x**

 **Guest: (I'm assuming you're the same person reviewing , if not , I'm sorry) YOU'RE STILL HERE THROUGH IT ALL , THANKS. PLEASE DON'T STOP REVIEWING YOU GIVE ME HOPE XX**

 **RPOV**

I shot up at the scream ,my feet already pounding on the landing ,ignoring the pain echoing through my body in protest . I knew I should have listened to that little nagging voice in my head . _I knew it . I knew it . I knew it._ And now someone was paying the price for my mistakes . I thundered down the stairs ,hearing some more of the family start to rush around ,and I ignored the telepathic shouting ,and the physical shouting ,for that matter . Only when I heard Vic's panicked _ROSE!_ did I answer anything ,quickly realising his worry . His fear.

I finally arrived in the kitchen ,where I thought the noise had come from ,and my heart sank. On the floor, propped up against some cupboards ,was a rather dazed looking ,but conscious Phoenix, blood trickling down her forehead. I wouldn't have been as worried ,had I not noticed the devastation written all over her face . _Phee?_ I tried softly ,not wanting to scar her any more ,but needing information.

 _R-Rose?_ She stuttered and I could feel her agony -not any physical pain - but her emotional distress. A side-effect of my gift.

 _Honey ,can you tell me what happened ? What's wrong?_ Much of the family started to flood in ,and Yves rushed over ,a strange mix of relief and worry written all over his face ,as he took Phoenix into his arms ,murmuring words of comfort whilst asking for Xav . Relief that he'd found her ; worry for her pain . I scanned the faces around me ,until my eyes landed on a rather frantic Zed, whose eyes were darting all over ,his fear increasing at not finding her. He was beig restrained by Will and Vic ,and I exchanged a worried glance with Vic, who confirmed my fears with just a look . Sky was gone .

 **(AN :I'm so sorry I'mJustDancingInTheRain ,it just seemed right. At least your prediction was right ?! xx)**

Right. Right. What to do first . _Sort this rather amazing pile of crap out ,perhaps ?_ My inner voice suggested. This voice was beginning to irritate me. _I'm going to call you Rosie_ ,I thought .

 _Why? It's too similar to your name . Choose another one._

 _No._

 _Why ?_

 _'Cause ,honey ,_ I said sweetly: _I hate you . And I hate the name Rosie . So you can match your name._

 _Bitch._

 _Says you ,_ I was starting to get frustrated .

Still , I internally sighed , realising _Rosie_ was helping me distract myself from my own mess of emotions _. Sky was gone_ . I walked over to the struggling Zed , who's rage was rapidly increasing .

"Zed ?" He didn't respond ,but continued yelling and pleading ,causing various protests and flinches at his ... interesting language. I didn't bat an eyelid ,but instead slapped his cheek. Like a full on bitch slap . I managed to stop myself from giggling at the startled expressions . _Yeah ,laughing might just make things worse hun ._ Rosie making an input again.

 _Shutup._

 _Oohooh . Who's smiling now ?_

I ignored her ,and put on my agent-y face . "Zed look at me . _Look at me_ ! Look at me or we're going to be here even longer ,and that might put Sky at more risk ." His eyes snapped to my glare ,and I dipped into his mind ,before recoiling and cursing . I had felt extreme pain and anguish and anger and fear . So I needed to mute that ,or Zed was going to be a risk to himself ,and everyone here.

"Zed ,I'm going to manipulate your emotions. I'm sorry it needs to be done ." .He started to protest ,but I held up a hand ,silencing him. "No . I know better than anyone here how horrible it is ,and I'm so sorry for that ,but you're a danger to everyone here . Plus ,for some reason you look like you've barely slept. You can't be exhausted if you're going to help save Sky. So I'll mute some emotions, and Vic will put you to sleep . 'Kay? " he shook his head violently ,tears in his eyes. My heart shuddered. Even though I'd known them what ? A day ? A day and a half ? I'd already put the Benedict's in my care ,just as they had me ,and seeing Zed in so much pain ,and Sky out there in such danger ,left me in full protector mode . "Zed ?" He didn't respond ,but looked at the floor, going limp in his brothers' arms. I put my fingers under his chin and forced his head up to meet my eyes .

"It's going to be okay. We're going to find her. I promise you. I promise you Zed. " He looked at me ,his eyes now searching mine ,before he nodded at me ,then at Vic. It was all the confirmation I needed ,before I quickly took a away enough of his emotions for him to calm down ,before replacing them with peace and content .I stumbled , his emotions sending ripples of agony through me but I straightened. I was upset at what I was doing ,my heart aching slightly at the inhumaneness in it ,but I knew it had to be done. I nodded at Vic ,who commanded his brother to sleep ,before he and Will lay him down on the sofa next door.

I sat with the rest of the Benedicts -well minus Zed and Sky ,the second was still sleeping in thee next room ,and Sky...I winced at the stupid-ness of my thoughts .Turning to Phee, who was still gathered in Yves' arms ,I decided to make a start on rescuing Sky. "Phee ?" ,I tried "Are you okay to tell us what happened ?" I said softly ,and determination and fear for Sky came across her face. She nodded decidedly . "Yes , Yes I'm fine ,and-and we need to save Sky," Good girl. Vic organised a laptop ,while I went and got his phone to record what she was saying ,before we nodded for her to start talking .

"Well ,Sky and I ,we fell asleep downstairs ,because we were up really late and ...um ..."

"Could you tell us why you were up really late ?" Vic prompted ,not unkindly.

Phee grimaced slightly : "Yeah um ,we fell asleep downstairs because we were up really late talking ,"

Seeing Vic furiously typing , I continued questioning : "I'm sorry sweetie, you're going to have to tell us what you were talking about ,so we know if that's why she was taken ,". I smiled reassuringly ,and Phee nodded.

"We were- we were talking because Sky and Zed had an argument ,a really big one ,and she came into mine and Yves' room about midnight ,upset. Distraught really. " _OO! Trouble in paradise ,maybe?_

 _Shut up Rosie._

 _Okay, okay ! Jeez._

"Why would she have not talked to anyone about it earlier ,before late at night . Why not Sally and Simon? Or anyone of us ?" Saul interrupted ,and I sighed . _I think I know where this is going Rosie._

 _Me and you both sister ._

Vic ,oblivious to my internal light bulb moment ,carried on : "Yeah, why so late at night ? Was she being threatened ?" Oh dear. _Are they bloody dense?_ I thought.

 _Now you see where I'm coming from ! I mean really , I told you from the start who bleeding stupid it was to get the Benedict inv-_

 _SHUT UP ROSIE._ This was starting to get slightly repetitive.

Various members of the family started demanding answers from Phee, who was full on panicking ,torn between telling in case it helped ,and protecting Sky and Zed's privacy .

"SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS PREGNANT !" Phee burst out ,stunning the whole family into silence. Wow . Complete silence. An impressive feat in this household . I rubbed my forehead ,running my hands through my hair . I was kinda glad I hadn't called round Sky's parents now ,especially seeing Karla's horrified face , I mean really ,it was kind of to be expected . Two horny teenagers ,destined to be together forever, completely in love. There could have been worse situations for teenage sex. Shock and upset was written across a lot of faces . Was it because they now worried there might be an unborn baby to save ? Or simply because innocent ,sweet little Sky had slept with completely reformed ,now-perfect Zed ?

"Do we know if she's definitely pregnant ?" I asked Phee ,because that might change how we rescued her, if she was.

"She's not. She took a test that said she was ,and her and Zed had a big argument a couple of days after he found out ,because...well tensions were running high between them ,and she came to me. I made her take like another 6 tests ,because I knew they could be wrong ,and five out of six of them came back negative .Then she got her period literally as we fell asleep ." I ignored the slightly weirded out faces of some of the guys . Even though they have soulfinders , and a woman they are meant to spend their life with ,who will have many periods before they die-hopefully - they still find it weird ? Then again ,I've had mine for 12 years ,and I'm now 24 ,I still find it weird ,sooo...

I could feel the relief at her not being pregnant ,but there was still slight horror at *gasp*... _the sex ._ I was laughing internally slightly ,though it must have been hard for some of them -especially a certain one. Cough . Karla . Cough. I guess for all of them it must be hard to get your head round someone as sweet and fresh-faced as Sky doing the deed ,especially as a lot of the brothers thought of Sky as a little sister.

"Well ,that's good ,in a way. Can you tell me how she was taken ?"

"Yes, yeah, of course" Phee ,snapped backed to reality to continue , "So we fell asleep ,but I woke up about two minutes before you all came down ,hearing a muffled cry and a smash ."

"Seeing Sky gone ,her blanket lying on the floor ,I thought something bad had happened ,so I ran into the kitchen ,grabbing a knife ,when I saw two men dressed all in black holding Sky ,who was struggling. I couldn't see there faces ,and when I approached them ,sending a telepathic shout to Yves ,a wave of incredibly strong telekinesis made me fly into the air and hit the kitchen cupboard . The one with all the blood on ? Anyway ,by the time I'd recovered ,they'd disappeared ,but I froze time at the last second and saw a foot ,and part of a coat ,so I think they'd teleported. "

"I -I'm sorry ,I should have done more ,I could have helped ,"

"You couldn't have done anything ,it was by no means your fault," I said strongly ,Yves confirming what I said. I shook my head and walked out ,hearing the family start up hushed ,and shocked conversation.

I felt Vic come up behind me from where I was standing ,and he wrapped his hands round my middle ,his face nuzzling my neck . He lips pressed lightly at my bare skin ,making me shudder with pleasure ,before I guiltily remembered I was the reason they were all in this mess ,and I turned my neck away. He turned me around ,and I looked at him . _What's wrong?_

 _This is all my fault. All my fault Vic. I shouldn't have gotten you involved ,your poor family involved. Little Sky's now paying the price I-_

 _Hey ,hey calm down baby,_ He comforted ,interrupting me ,rubbing circles on my back ,and my body relaxed slightly : _This is not at all your fault. We knew what we were going into ,accepted it -all of us . You're one of our own and you needed help, what do you expect us to do ?_ I smiled a little , and the guilt lessened a bit. He just stood holding me , envoloping me in his warmth, his comfort. I turned, putting my head in his chest, breathing him in . I just wanted that moment to last forever . No bad things. Was that too much to ask?

I sat at the table some time later , still waaay to early morning ,nursing a hot chocolate and the notes from Phee's questioning. What was bugging me? _Teleportation._ I shot up upright. The executive spy for the Dark Met could teleport. He was the one who interrogated me when I handed myself in . But I also managed to get into his mind - by annoying the hell out of him of course, I manipulated his emotions so that his shield was forgotten, pretty much. He has a little sister , maybe Phee's age ironically. She was about to get some visitors. My thoughts were interrupted yVic's phone ringing next to me. It was an unknown number. A feeling of dread settled over me and I yelled for Vic , who came running.

"Trace this call I don't care how you do it."

"What the hel-"

I silenced him, picking up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi Rosie, " a voice purred. Flashbacks ran through my mind. He was one of the experimentors.

 _HEY ! That's my name you twat-_

 _ROSIE. You're not even bloody real._

"Sooo. Are you going to tell me what you're wanting for Sky?"

"Well well. This is interesting, to say the least. We kidnap a Benedict and we get the added bonus of finding you. "

So they didn't kidnap Sky to get to me. As bad as a knew it was, I was so relieved.

"Ahh . You didn't know where I was ? You're slipping ! Remind me to tell your superiors when I get the chance that they need new staff honey ."

"I wouldn't act all smug Rosie sweet." He said , amused.

"And could you elighten me as to why I shouldn't be _smug?"_ I asked , imitating his posh tone.

"Because we hear your father is looking for you dearest , and he happens to be our new biggest customer , dearest."

 **oh deary dear. I'm not sure if I like this chapter , still. Tell me how it was in a REVIEW. pretty pretty please. Also ,what do we think of Rosie ? Because i love you all ,I'll try and update sooner next time. TTFN xx**


	9. Chapter 8

**Reaching Rose Chapter 8**

 **Hi Guys …Yes I'm back ,sorry I've been …absent. This AN is going to be brief –sorry-because I don't have much time before I need to upload this and get off my PC . THANKYOU TO MY BEAUTIFUL REVIEWERS (OBVIOUSLY) ,and I'm sooo sorry this is late – I was ill then I had loads of tests ,so I've just been really busy . Next chapter should be up by Thursday/Friday though .**

 **ENJOY:**

 **-RPOV-**

I froze ,my heart slowly starting to sink as the realisation crept through . My breathing became laboured as various thoughts ,memories ,emotions, ran through me ,making me feel _reaaaallly_ sick. My mind turned into a carousel ,the thoughts spinning round and round ,faster and faster .I remembered Sky ,and shook it off : "So you know him. Good for you honey . Now, was that the only reason you decided to ring ,or did you have another lovely threat to throw at me ?"

He laughed . Just _laughed ._ My nails started to dig into my palms ,a little pattern of dents starting to form . This was really ,really bad. "Rosie dearest , we know what fun your sweet old Daddy has planned for you . Don't you want to know ?"

"Not really . Would you like to know what I've got planned for you ,you sad ,sadistic basta- ?"

"Ohhhh sweetest. Your gonna pay for that . When we get you back. And we _will_ get you back. " He was always the creepy one ,not just the scientist doing his job . The slightly crazy one of the experimenters. "Or maybe we'll just sell you off ,back to your Dad," ,he mused , "He seems like he really wants to see his darling daughter ,did you know that Rosie ?" I swallowed heavily ,looking at Vic ,who held up one finger at me . One minute. I only had to listen to this for one more minute.

"SO . If you want me so badly, why haven't you just come and got me? "

"Well ,the Benedict project was always planned . Losing you was a … hindrance ,as we figured you'd know something like this would happen. Still ,we never expected you to be at the Benedict household ,that was an _extremely_ lucky coincidence for us. We now have an even better bargain for you. " ,he purred . I sighed . I knew exactly what was coming ,but asked anyway .

"Just tell me the bargain ."

He laughed. "But you already know ,don't you ?"

"Humour me then ," my voice was emotionless ,monotone . I could practically see his grin , his taunting face hovering in front of me. This was not going to be fun.

"Why not ? We will give you _Sky_ _,_ as you call her ,for the small exchange of you. What do you say ,Rosie ?" A harsh beep rang out , making me wince. I'd hung up. I looked a Vic ,who nodded . They'd traced the call ,thank God.

"Where's it from ?"

"New Jersey ,I think ."

"Well ,then. Let's organise a trip to New Jersey."

 **-PB-**

The Benedicts all sat in a circle in the living room ,furniture shoved to one side. I sat with them , feeling a little bit like we were going to practise Voodoo or something. Zed ,looking slightly dazed , but absolutely heartbroken, sat with Xav and Yeves .Some maps and laptops and tablets were in the middle of us . The family looked at Vic expectantly ,whose arm had remained firmly around my waist ever since the call. He squeezed my waist before starting , "Rose was called by the people who held her hostage ,who are also the people holding Sky hostage -" Various people started to cry out ,but at Saul's command , they quietened down.

"They were making the usual threats against me –once they realised it was me talking. They hadn't realised I was with you ,which is good ,because it means their intel isn't great at the moment. " I continued ,and Vic smiled at me ,before talking .

"What Rose isn't saying ,because she's far too nice ,is they didn't kidnap Sky because Rose escaped and came to us. They'd been planning to hit our family for ages apparently ."

"The problem being ,with me answering the phone ,we have lost our leverage . They know we're working together . Also they…they have a new bargain, having found me. "

Vic winced ,just holding me tighter ,and I inhaled ,preparing for the arguing . "They'll hand over Sky for me." Instead of the yelling and arguing I predicted ,everyone was completely silent .

"Luckily ,you don't have to hand me over ,because while I was talking ,Vic managed to trace the call . I thought it would be a better plan to give me to them , get Sky ,then rescue me ,but Vic protested just a tad" I said wryly , raising an eyebrow at the stubborn Vic who was still glaring at me . There was a little murmur of discomfort running through the room ,but Vic just turned his glare to the people who were suggesting that it might be a good idea . I swallowed my laugh ,before deciding to continue : "So ,who's coming on a rescue mission to New Jersey ?". There were an awful lot of volunteers – like , the whole of the family .

 **-PB-**

I was in the Benedict living room , in front of a beautiful fire ,which was casting some pretty orange and yellow shadows ,which danced on the wall ,distracting me. I sat working with Vic –surprise ,surprise- when I realised something . "It's Christmas Day isn't it ?"

Voc looked at me ,his eyebrows raised at my outburst : "Yeah –Yes I suppose it is." ,he said slowly ,ad my heart sank slightly .

"God –I'm sorry – this must be a pretty shitty Christmas for you all. "

Vic just raised an eyebrow ,turning back to the papers and plans we were looking at for our rescue of Sky : "A shitty Christmas that isn't at all your fault ."

"Vic-"

"Nope I'm right. You're wrong ."

I felt my annoyance flicker ,but I suppressed it ,sighing .We didn't need this now . I resumed working ,marking on the map the address in New Jersey we were aiming for .

I sat up bolt upright again ,knocking over Vic's laptop and coffee –it was still too early for both of us - and he swore : "What the actual fu- "

"Simmons. Agent Simmons."

"What ?!"

"The FBI traitor – Simmons. Now ,whether she is leaking intelligence intentionally – that doesn't seem right. Maybe she's be forced ? Doing it –"

"Woah .Slow down ." Vic interrupted ,rubbing his hands over his face , "You think the leak is… Simmons ? As in Hannah ? The smallest ,sweetest , _worst_ agent we have ?"

"SEE?" I was starting to get excited ,and I was practically burning a hole in the fireplace rug I was pacing so much : "It's the perfect cover ! The day before I went on my mission she asked for temporary leave –claiming she was pregnant. But that gives her the perfect opportunity to consort with the Dark Met ."

Vic's face cleared ,his weird work-face taking the place of the confusion : "Well then ,the sooner we stop this leak the sooner the FBI is secure –and can help us . We need to find her, pay her a special _visit_ ." He rang up some friend in the FBI – Nick ?- we figured we can still trust and asked for Simmons' most recent address . He fed it to me and I wrote it down as he said bye and hung up . I stood to get ready –we needed the FBI back as soon as possible – but Vic grabbed my waist ,pulling me back.

"Where do you think you're going ?"

I looked at his face , and stubbornly shook my head : "No. Nu-uh . You are not going without me Vic."

"You can't even eat a full meal Rose ,never mind go into a probably hostile situation."

"And you're still not going without me. That's an order –and I technically outrank you in the FBI remember ,soulfinder or no"

"Rose for God's sake stop being ridiculous – you're sick ! You should be at a hospital !" Vic insisted ,almost pleading ,but I stood up ,ignoring him .

"And I've been in worse situations and still done interrogations and stuff. Either we go together or I go on my own . Which would you rather do Vic?" I demanded .Vic shook his head in response ,not looking at me. Still he stood up ,sighing in resignation . I let out a shaky breath ,feeling a light sting at the back of my eyes ,which I ignored ,and I started walking : "I don't think we should bring any of your family . I –I don't want them put at any more risk. We should be able to handle this ourselves. Where-" I stumbled ,swearing quietly ,expecting to fall flat on my face ,but Vic caught me ; standing me upright and waiting ,holding me while I gasped at the sudden onslaught of pain ,shuddering and also frozen ,unable to move . After a few minutes I straightened and Vic loosened his hold before he continued on ,still not looking at me . My heart wrenched ,and that stinging feeling returned .I was doing the right thing ,wasn't I ?

 **-PB-**

Vic hadn't talked to me the entire journey here , hadn't even given me a glance ,and I was beginning to regret my … demands… from earlier . Especially because my body was in agony and I felt like I was about to throw up everywhere .Especially because I didn't realise how horrible it would feel falling out with Vic . My whole heart ached ,a dead weight in my chest .

 _Look at me . I sound like a soppy Disney princess._ I thought .

 _Without the awesome hair ._

 _Rosie-_ I warned ,but she interrupted me .

 _Yeah ,yeah I know. I'll be good I promise. I was soo just bored._ I didn't really get how my subconscious could be bored when I myself was anything but. Then again ,I didn't really know why I had a voice running through my head that no one else could hear ,either . I broke out of my trance feeling the car grind to a halt . I looked up . And blinked.

 _So Hannah either lied ,and this isn't her house ,or is reaaaaaally rich._ Rosie said.

 _True Dat._

I stood staring at massive old house ,the browned bricks often hidden by strings of green ivy climbing up the walls. There were lots of huge windows ,framed with wood ,the white paint chipping off. A beautiful house ,despite the slight signs of age peeking through . I approached a burgundy door ,ringing a rather modern bell in comparison to the house. I heard some rushed footsteps ,and the door flew open to reveal Simmons, wiping some floury hands on an apron ,her hair in a rushed but still stylish bun at the top of her head . She looked up ,a warm ,pretty smile on her face before she saw us . Her smile froze and she fell a little ,resting her hands against the door as pure fear spread across her face . She attempted to close the door ,but Vic quickly put his foot in the doorway.

"Wh- what do you want ? I can't work ,I'm on leave if—"

"We'd like to talk to you about something else actually Simmons ,if you can let us in please." I stopped her ,and she paled ,a sheen of sweat forming on her forehead ,but she opened the door to let us in .

We followed her down a hallway into a rather homely looking kitchen ,baked goods spanning every surface available .

 _That's a lot of cakes._

 _You got something right for once Rosie ._

 _I think you'll find I get a lot more right than you do ._

 _YOU ARE ME._

But still ,it was true. Every corner displayed some food. From tarts ,to biscuits ,to cookies, to buns , and a massive gingerbread house too… I hadn't had gingerbread in years. Still ,instead of mouth-watering ,my stomach flipped over ,nauseous again ;reminding me I was still recovering. Like a lot.

Hannah stood ,removing her apron with shaking hands. I blinked. Well she really is pregnant . A definite bump was now protruding , seeming slightly weird on such a small lady. She propped up her apron on a chair ,and stood ,wringing her hands and breathing rather shakily . My heart softened ,the hardened again. This was a ruse . She was responsible for Sky getting kidnapped.

"Agent Simmons. I'm assuming you know why we're here . We have evidence-" _No we don't_. "-to suggest you have been revealing intelligence and classified information concerning the Federal Bureau of Investigation to a major criminal organisation known widely as the Savant Metropolis. If this is true ,not only have you directly assisted in the criminal hurt of two individuals ,but also have breached several FBI protocol laws for its employees , endangering citizens of the United States ,and worldwide communities too. This is beyond breaking the law Agent Simmons." I finished ,giving myself a mental high-five again. That ,was beautifully done ,Rose .

Simmons opened her mouth to speak ,but closed it again ,her whole body now shaking. She really was not a good undercover agent. This had to be a disguise . But ,Vic drew back a chair and motioned for her to sit. If this pregnancy was definitely real ,we weren't going to harm an unborn child without absolutely necessity and no other option.

"Agent Simmons ,do you have any explanation to this accusation ? An alibi maybe ? Or do you have a confession to make ?" I said ,while Vic stood next to me ,a silent ,unforgiving force . Unforgiving of Hannah's actions ? Or mine ?

"I-I-… I'm not Hannah Simmons."

I blinked . "Then who the hell are you ?"

"I'm –I'm her twin sister. Sarah Simmons ,apart from I'm married now so – Sarah Croft . " I broke my nail . How did the FBI not know this?

"She –she was an amazing agent , who used to work for the United Nations ?"

I nodded ,we knew that.

"But she , she um …She made a very …cruel enemy while working .The enemy couldn't get to me –I was UN protection ,but…But this person got the perfect leverage when he found out about her son . He was only a few years old ,and he …she didn't mean to get pregnant but she couldn't lose him .Her Mother instinct ,I guess . She couldn't tell the UN because ,well, she knew they'd make her give him up . So he blackmailed her ,making her reveal various pieces of information about the UN ,until she got really badly sick on a mission –she got c-cancer from a radioactive fallout ." There were tears in Agen- Sarah's eyes ,but she continued.

"When she had limited time left ,the UN ,th-they dismissed her and she had to go to a hospice before-before she died. But her enemy- a man in the Savant Metropolis –hadn't done. She ask- she _begged_ me to take over her job- for her son ,my nephew . I couldn't say no ,and she died the next day. That-that was about a year ago. The man made me join the FBI –manipulating records to make the FBI think …think I was Hannah. And he made …made me leak lots…a lot of stuff-" She was sobbing now, tears falling down her face ,running down her neck .

"You've got to understand," she pleaded , "I –I never wanted any of this to happen . I tried to find where Hannah hid her son ,and tell the FBI ,but I can't find him ,and –and now he's threatening my husband ,our unborn baby .When he caught you- I –I didn't know what to do . I didn't want you hurt ,and he ,he worked this out. Blackmailed me –s-saying he'd hurt you if I didn't continue ."

I breathed deeply , but didn't change my passive face expression. She could have been trained –this was probably a cover but… but her eyes looked like they were telling the truth. I'd recorded the confession , but I still needed Vic to... confirm… what she said was true. "Do you consent to Agent Benedict using compulsion to confirm what you have just said as true ?" She nodded ,her tears now silent , and I knew in that moment she was telling the absolute truth .

Still ,Vic used his gift ,speaking ,but his voice layered with a honey-like persuasion : " _Can you tell me if what you have said involving your sister's involvement and resulting blackmail concerning the Savant Metropolis ,otherwise known as the Dark Met ,as true ?"_

She nodded , " _Please can you physically speak your answer Ms. Croft? "_

She took a deep breath, but spoke : "Everything I have spoken in the past 10 minutes is true."

"We're going to sort this out ,Sarah," I reassured ,my face relaxing into a smile.

"Thankyou," She breathed , "Thankyou ,thankyou so much,"

"It's the least we can do for all the trouble these criminals have caused you and your family," Vic finished ,smiling too .

"You have to stay for a little while though – you have to help me eat some of this!" She beamed ,and my heart dropped. I really needed to get out . My legs were getting increasingly shaky ,and I could feel a light sheen of sweat forming on my head as I started to burn up.

"No ,really Mrs. Croft ,we can't impose-"

"Nonsense ! The least you two deserve is a break!" There was a darkness at the corner of my eyes . I'd thought I was getting better ,I couldn't believe this.

"Really -"

"No –nope ,you're staying. You simply must try-"

Aaaand… I collapsed on the floor .

 **OH DEAR . I feel like it's one step forward and two steps back for Rose and Vic at the moment. PLEASE REVIEW . Maybe Fav ,or Follow ,too ? I would love you forever ! Like I said before ,the next chapter should be up by Thursday/Friday at the latest – I'm going to try have a more organised update schedule too ,especially I shouldn't have anymore tests for a while. SEE Y'ALL SOON XX.**


	10. Another vital AN sorry

**Reaching Rose Edit , followed by chapter.**

 **So…I kinda disappeared .I was busy for a couple of weeks –understandable ,right ? But it's been something like 4 months .HOWEVER I HAVE A LIGITIMATE EXCUSE I SWEAR. SO I'm lucky – I have a phone and stuff provided for me from my amazzzing parents ,which I could have written my chapters for Reaching Rose on, but I really don't like the format , because it runs off the screen so I can't see what I am typing for ages etc… it's basically annoying and not good and so resultantly hard . So I use the family PC – coz although I'm lucky, I am not yet lucky enough to have my own laptop, but I should be getting one for my birthday (YAY). However , my Dad was using it , and he got a pop-up saying your computer has been effected by a virus ? Would you like to install this programme ? And of course ,being my Dad , he clicked yes . SO WHAT HAPPENED I HEAR YOU ASK ? Our computer really** ** _did_** **get infected by a virus so eventually we got it fixed …like last week . I've also lost a load of school work –not all of it luckily but too much of it , AND ALL MY DRAFT CHAPTERS AND PLANS . SO, bear with me . Coz this is going to be a long process .BUT I'M BACK . AND UPDATING EVERY WEEK AS MUCH AS I CAN .**

 **THANKYOU TO MY TWO USUAL REVIEWERS …AND MY NEW ONE. You might not realise , but your support really does make me so happy . KEEP UP BEING AMAZING YOU GUYS . And I also love everyone who just reads my story ,you make me feel so appreciated …but pleaaaaaaase review if/when you can. Just to show how much you love the story . OR how much you don't love it ,because criticism I find really useful ,just don't be too mean .**

 **Ok ,so sorry for the horribly long (but vital) AN ,I hate them too so I'm sorry and I'll try to minimize the next one as much as I can . I'm going to upload this then hopefully upload the new chapter by either tonight , and if not Sunday ,coz I'm looking after a bunch of seven year olds on a camp till then .**

 **LOVE Y'ALL**

 **TTFN**


	11. Chapter 9

**Heello . yes. I am incredibly sorry for the …delay :/ .**

 **THANKYOU TO THE LOVELY REVIEWERS PLZ DON'T LEAVE . And to anyone who reads my story … thankyou . I KNOW YOU'RE THERE FANFIC TELLS ME . You all make me happy .**

 **SORRY AGAIN HERE GOES :**

 **REACHING ROSE CHAPTER 9**

 ***VPOV***

 _Shit_ .I saw Rose collapse to the floor and my heart stopped for what must be the 1 millionth time since I met her , but luckily I quickly darted to catch her head so she didn't hit it .

"Rose ? Rose ? _ROSE !_ Please open your eyes baby ! Oh _shit_ -" My hand fumbled around her neck ,searching for a pulse .

"Oh thank God," I breathed ,resting my head on her chest for a second .There was a light pulse ,but a pulse all the same . Sarah rushed forward , awkwardly sitting down around her pregnant belly ,before her hand touched Rose's forehead .

" She's burning up ! What in the world is wrong with her ?" , she cried ,looking at me with round and panicked eyes .

"We're really not sure ," I manage .

 ***PB***

I sighed ,running my hand through her hair; we'd been sitting here with Rose maybe a half hour already ,and I tried calling Xav telepathically but he was out of even my range . Sarah was alternating between questioning me about Rose ,and looking between us like we were aliens.

Eventually , her relentless questioning calmed down till this : "You love her don't you? "

I sighed , "Way more than I ever thought was possible." Sarah only smiled at me.

Finally ,Rose was starting to come round ,murmuring , her eyes fluttering open .

She swallowed and groaned slightly ; "What happened ? Did I pass out ?" ,her voice hoarse .

"Yeah . For a solid forty minutes ." I internally winced , I didn't mean to sound that harsh . I saw a flash of hurt run through Rose's eyes , so fast I doubt anyone else would have noticed it . She sat up slowly , her eyes looking at me , but I turned away , avoiding her stare .

"Right then . I-I guess we should be getting back . I'm so sorry to have imposed on you Sarah , we'll get this sorted I promise ."

"Honestly , it's no problem . I'm just glad to have told someone . And that your safe Rose ." she replied ,her eyes darting between mine and Rose's . We got up to leave ,Sarah helping Rose up , who of course was being insistent she didn't need any help . Why won't she let anyone in ? Why won't she let me in?

 ***PB - RPOV***

We were travelling back to The Benedicts in the car , me emailing every FBI official I knew , now that we had sorted out the 'traitor' issue . I was not really feeling much better after waking up from earlier ,and it was starting to worry even me . But worse than that , Vic was still ignoring me , and it was making me feel like a crap soulfinder .

After about half an hour in total silence , I couldn't take it anymore ; "Please talk to me Vic ,"

"I don't know what you want me to say ."

"Anything ! God Vic , I'm sorry but you've got to understand where I'm coming from ,why I _have_ to help !"

"Oh for fuck's sake Rose , don't you get it ?! You're KILLING yourself doing this ! Why won't you let me in ? Let me help ! The least you could do is tell me when you feel like you're going to fucking collapse." He sees my face and his eyes immediately soften : "Just…take a break from it _.Please_ . Just for a day . For me ."

I look to the floor ,my nails digging into my palms , before I look him dead in the eyes ,my heart clenching at his desperate stare ; "I can't Vic . I'm sorry .Please understand me".

He hits the steering wheel and I flinch . I beg with him , plead ,cajole but he's back to ignoring me .

 ***PB***

We arrive back at the house in that crushing silence I tried – and clearly failed- to resolve . But even worse ,the inside of the house is silent as well – something you never want to hear from the Benedicts . I look at Vic , and his face seems a little worried as we walk to the living room .

The Benedicts are all sitting around a mobile in the center of the room , lying innocently on a coffee table , faces ranging from distraught to angry to hopeless.

"What happened ?" Vic commands ,and everyone looks up at us . Zed hits the table corner and my heart drops , whilst Vic goes to the table ,picking up the phone .

"Passcode ?"

"7763," Xav manages ,rubbing Zed's back .

I walk over to Vic ,where he is staring intently at something . An unknown number has messaged presumably Zed's phone , leaving only a video . He presses play , and I wince seeing Sky strung up in a dark cell I recognize. They held me in one very similar till they moved me to the experimenters . A low , obviously male voice questions her, and she shakes her head , refusing to answer . My heart breaks at her defiance , and I take a sharp breath in as she screams , pulling against the restraints . It happens three more times before the voice stops and Sky calms down . The voice picks up again , directed at us now : "Time is running out for little Sky here , Benedicts . I would hurry in handing over both Rose Albion, and control of the Net if I were you ."

I sigh in resignation – they were far too predictable in their demands if I'm going to be honest .

"Wh-what were they doing to her?" Zed asks , staring at me pleadingly .

"They were using a savant they have in there control that will be making her relive whatever the most painful moments of her life have been so far ." I say , my face completely straight . A series of swearing and sobbing follows , and Zed's face crumples .

"But that savant I know , so I may be able to break into his head and work out which area of the various divisions of the Met Sky is being held at ." The Benedicts all look at me in shock , Victor included , and I smile grimly .

"Yup. They've just made their first mistake .And Vic and I have found the FBI traitor , so we're now back in contact with them and they are ready to help whenever necessary ." I turn to Zed ,whose face is still distraught . "We're getting her back Zed , just like I promised ."

 ***PB***

The Benedicts are hurrying around once more , preparing themselves , whilst I sit in the middle of the living room , eyes closed ,concentrating on finding Cray – the savant who was torturing Sky .

My gift is pretty useful , even I admit , but it took a lot of… rigorous… training for it to be as strong as it is . I bet that the Benedicts , as strong as they are, would have at least as strong gifts as I do if they went through the same training . But I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy . At the moment , I am focusing on a situation in which I injured Cray with a dagger of emotion when we met just before I put him in jail – which he clearly escaped from . The physical injuries I make with emotion leave a certain imprint ,on both my mind and the receivers . I'm tracking that imprint now. I feel my head start to throb at the effort , but manage to grasp blindly in the dark to hang on . Vic's right – I'm not well enough to be doing this . Still , I persevere and gasp as I reach Cray , who is watching Sky through a window . Interestingly , he feels guilty. Perhaps I can use that against him if we meet again . Still , I know enough now so quickly retreat , winding my way back , ignoring the pain which is increasing quite quickly now.

I open my eyes on the living room floor of the Benedicts again , a chuckle hollowly because the irony is clear. Either the dark Met are more stupid than we realise –which I doubt- or they don't really care if we find them quickly , because Sky is being held in the very same place I was being experimented on …

 **So there you are. Shorter than normal , but I promise the next chapter will be longer. Criticism , likes/dislikes are greatly appreciated … IN A REVIEW ? ?** **J** **. I hoped you liked it . Stuff is starting to go down for sure . TTFN MY LOVELIES XX**


	12. Chapter 10

**Hello my little ones.**

 **Yes** **it's me.**

 **I'M BACK. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?** **Yes** **I'm very sorry, and yes I'm back for good. I would attempt to give some pitiful** **excuses** **but you might be more interested in the next chapter:**

"Vic?". He looked up at me, raising his eyebrow:

"What've you found?"

I let out a small smile, "I know where they've been holding her, "

 **-PB-**

Vic and I rush about the house quietly, trying not to wake anyone up. We decided this was our responsibility to get Sky back- well I did, and Vic refused to let me go alone, so we were attempting to get ready without the whole house realising. I wasn't sure about Vic coming along, he was too invested, with them holding Sky and having been my ...experimenters, but I wasn't stupid enough to go alone with only an FBI extraction team as back up. I needed a partner.

Vic and I seem to have called a temporary truce on our argument- he knew I had to rescue Sky, I was the most qualified agent in a 100 mile radius, knowing the layout of the building and such. So he was at least speaking to me again.

Ish. And only when necessary.

Also, another plus- I no longer feel like I'm going to pass out. I do still feel extremely nauseous and I haven't really eaten a meal yet, but I'm still counting my slight health improvement as a win.

I break out of my trance to see Vic looking at me questioningly.

I shake off my internal babbling. Sky has spent two days with those psychos. That's two days too many.

"I'm ready. Let's go get her back."

 **-PB-**

Annnnd my bad feeling is back.

We've just entered the back door of the building, and I'm trying to deduce the source of my bad 'vibe'. Cray's mind was clear, not fogged, showing what I was seeing was the truth. Sky's here, I'm certain of it.

But then there's the issue of New Jersey. We definitely traced that call from Philadelphia. Maybe there's another base?

Maybe Sky's just in trouble- well, more trouble. I cringe, deciding against my better judgement to ignore my gut again, and press forward, Vic to my left and three FBI agents behind us. The rest of the team is waiting outside if things don't go as planned, God forbid.

Unfortunately, we can't just storm the building, as we have 'insufficient evidence' against them for a warrant. I'm not good enough evidence as a FBI agent who was tortured and experimented on? Bullshit. They're being protected by someone in the legal system.

 _Any-_ _hoo_ _._ I can't do anything about that at the moment.

I edge down the hallways, these ones on the ground floor seeming deserted, but I know exactly whereabouts the evil is- downstairs, underground, like in those cheesy sci-fi films. I don't think the people running this place could be more obvious, to be honest.

I breathe in deeply, trying to ignore the memories of the agonising torture I endured here not even a week ago. It's some sort of twisted de ja vu, being back, like fate is determined for me to stay here for some reason.

Everyone in our little rescue team freezes as we here a pair of voices, one male and one female, drifting down the corridor.

Shit. Shitty shit shit.

These people weren't meant to be here. This path was supposed to have no guard rotations, no cameras even. Seeing a room, I practically lunge towards it, praying for it to be unlocked and to my incredible surprise, it is, so we all rush in, before I close the door ever so slowly and quietly to avoid notice.

I turn to find myself staring at a slightly panicked Victor and I almost grin remembering how he doesn't like when things don't go to plan.

I realise he has no idea quite how ...bad... things were down here, and sober up somewhat.

 _Vic I've got to tell you..._

 _What is it,_ _Rose?_

I can't help but soften a little at his worried gaze.

 _No matter what you see down here, what you find out about this place, you can't lose your cool. We_ _have to_ _get Sky out and leave. We don't have the resources, the planning, the manpower to take the place down_ _okay?_

He nods, searching my eyes for something, but what I don't know.

 _But we will._ I finish.

 _What?_

 _Take the place down. Not today, but soon._ And it's his turn to grin at that sentence.

 **-PB-**

We all wait with bated breath, letting out a sigh of relief as the pair we heard pass by the room without stopping. I wait a full fifteen Mississippi's before I glance at the team- they all nod back, and I edge the door open, one hand on the gun tucked into my belt.

We resume our creep towards the stairs. If we're lucky, Sky will still be being held in that cell, which if memory serves me correctly is the floor above the medical wing- the floor beneath this one. Unfortunately, that floor means the cameras start. We might be able to avoid them for a little while, but we will eventually be spotted and that's when the race really begins.

My heart starts thundering in my chest as we reach the bottom of the stairs, my bad feeling becoming a throbbing, pulsing deterrence. I decide to take it as a good sign- we must be getting closer to Sky. I pause before continuing into the hallway, an attempt to settle into my 'agent zen', as I like to call it. We edge on one side of the corridor to avoid the main camera at the start of floor. As we get passed it, I feel the relief sweep through the team ...a split second before the alarms go off.

Well so much for that being successful.

I break out into a run, searching through each cell, cursing as one after the other proves empty. Finally after about halfway through my eyes land on Sky. She's chained into one corner of the room, but conscious and alert, thank God, her eyes widening as she spots me and Vic next to me.

I don't hesitate as I turn from the window, blasting open the metal door with a wave of telekinesis. I rush towards Sky as Vic stands guard outside. The other three agents turn up, and Vic seems to be having a conversation with them, despite the deafening alarms.

I call over one of the three as I reach Sky, the agent reaching me and pressing her palm to the locks on Sky's manacles, breaking through them with ease- a lock charming savant. Handy.

"Are you okay?" Sky's looking all around frantically.

"Sky! Sky you're okay, this is real. Vic and I are here to get you out, take you back to Zed."

At his name Sky's eyes focus, and she calms somewhat, staring at me.

I search through her mind, cursing at the mental manipulation they put her through. All to punish the Benedicts, get their attention. Punish me.

I push through, manipulating her emotions to relieve some of the despair and panic, not faltering as the true extent of her emotions slam into me. God we can't let them get away with this

"You with me?", I ask, searching her face expression, her eyes.

She nods.

"Okay then, it's time to get the hell out of here."

I smile a little at her and she returns the gesture, which reassures me she's really with us mentally, and she's not going into shock. _Which would be_ _realllly_ _bad timing._

Yes Rosie. Yes it would be. Someone remind me of the importance of my annoying little subconscious.

I start to run towards the door, dragging poor Sky behind me. Vic and the others cotton on, two of them running ahead of us, the other taking guard behind us as we sprint away from the room. Sky's little protective cocoon- but that's not saying she's not strong by any means. No, I'm certainly impressed by her mental security and strength despite all she's been through, actually, because as we run, she is alert, prepared and keeping pace with trained FBI agents.

We sprint in the opposite direction to the way we entered- that way is crawling with the building's thug security that is starting to chase behind us. No, we're heading directly through the busiest section of the building because we're kind of hoping a brazen charge will be enough to pull us through- there will at least be less security.

Hey, I never said we had a good plan. We just sort of went all out because time was not on our hands, but then again, it never seems to be.

 **-PB-**

As we bull doze through the main hub of the organisation, there are shouts from various people- people in management positions, some of the scientists. They are screams for security mostly, and I grin. The security are all guarding the entrances and exits. There are barely any on this floor, and the ones that are there, I can easily obliterate past, leaving them clutching their heads, dragging at their eyes in fear.

I practically feel the nerves from our FBI agents turn on me as they see my mind manipulation. Well, what's left of it. I'm still struggling from that bloody energy the scientists injected inside me.

Perhaps I should be scared of my gift, at least a little bit, and most of the time I am. But right now? It's a godsend. And it's revenge- for what these people did to Sky.

Everytime I see her flinch, I notice a savant who must have tortured her mind for information, or a security guard who is particularly violent. They quickly suffer the brunt of my gift- and let me tell you, I have a lot of pent up emotion to attack with.

With every twist and turn, every sprint up and down a flight of stairs in a desperate attempt to find the fire exit door our escape hinges on, I feel my heart drop a little. There are two reasons for this.

One- we are getting closer and closer to my old cell. Two- this seems a little too easy.

As we turn onto the fated dingy corridor where my cell is, the lights flicker.

 _Well that wasn't creepy at all._

All of a sudden all the projectors they use to try and brainwash prisoners turned on, the lights blaring through the massive windows in each cell

Who was doing this? What was their endgame?

Soon enough, I find out.

The group collectively flinches as someone's screams fill the speakers, and I feel a sense of dread filling in the very pit of my stomach.

We slow our run to see me on every single projector- the person behind that screaming voice.

I stare at the video of me, thrashing against the restraints all around my body. The blue-green hospital gown I was wearing brings bile to the back of my throat as I stare at it, the harshness of the colours and the blinding white lights making my eyes hurt.

The experimenter talks to me but can't be seen by the camera- and it's that very same voice who messed with me on the phone after Sky's capture a few days ago. It still sends shivers down my spine: his words seem malicious just from his tone, his very voice oozes slime.

"We _can_ stop our experiment Rose, dearest. I'm happy to test the energy on another savant, even if you seem to respond best to it. All you have to do is tell us something- anything- about the Net. An answer to one of those questions we asked you earlier, preferably?"

Video me simply snarls, gritting my teeth as the next onslought of energy rips through my body.

I shake myself out of watching the scene to see everyone else around me transfixed at the video, eyes wide in horror. I shake Vic a little.

"Come on guys, they're trying to play us, make us seem even weaker, out of control. We have go- it shouldn't be that far now. Guys! Come on! Move! MOVE."

I start to run away- away from the scene, the endless screams I can still hear- an attempt to run away from the flashbacks threatening to reappear, but Vic grabs my arm.

"Rose-" His voice breaks, and my breathing starts to get uneven. I can't lose it. Not now.

"Vic please. We just have to go. Plea-" I sob and Vic's face looks murderous.

I steady myself. "Please." Vic searches my face, his eyes scrutinising, perhaps the only person to see how I truly feel when I shutter my emotions off.

He nods, and I don't hesitate, grabbing a rather shell-shocked Sky once more and sprinting again.

Turn left, take the second fire door and up the stairs. I can practically feel the freedom, the fresh air.

As we turn onto the final corridor my heart leaps with joy upon seeing the Fire Exit door, it's green light flittering above.

Of course, fate doesn't like me enough to let that just be the end.

I hear a shout.

"Hey Rosie!"

I don't hesitate, refusing to look back, just continuing my run- we're almost there. Nearly there.

I realise not looking back was a mistake when I hear the gun click.

Sky screams as the gunshot goes off, and I feel myself being shoved into the wall.

I turn my head- too late- to see the bullet that was supposed to hit me rip through Vic's back. I hear another scream, this one deafening, agonising, primal.

It takes me a full second to realise it's my scream.

We finally hit the door, two of the other FBI agents hauling Vic through first. I turn to see the shooter and sob a little as I realise it's _that_ scientist. The one who was in charge of experimenting on me. The sadistic one. The one who rang the Benedict's house.

He's laughing, his cackle filling the air and I'm dumbfounded.

"Your Father says hello Rosie! He can't wait to see you again soon!"

 **Woo. 2300-ish-** **words. Sorry again for being gone so long. A year. Oops. God that's so long – I am truly very sorry and I hope you all haven't abandoned the story. NEXT CHAPTER UP BY TUESDAY. Special thanks to** **llamaaacorn** **and** **I'mjustdancingintherain** **of course.**

 **LOVE YOU ALL. REALLY.**


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